The Australian Olympic Committee said Tuesday it has appealed to international sport's highest arbitration body to open the way for Australian cyclist Michael Rogers to claim a bronze medal from the Athens Games.

The AOC has joined Russian committee in seeking the disqualification of American cyclist Tyler Hamilton from the Olympic individual time trial.

Gold medalist Hamilton was suspended by his Phonak team in September, soon after he won an individual time trial at the Vuelta a España. Results from two failed blood tests suggested he had been guilty of an illicit blood transfusion. Hamilton's A sample taken in Athens a month earlier had produced similar results although the International Olympic Committee (IOC) could not test his B sample, which is needed to sanction any athlete, because it had been frozen instead of being refrigerated, rendering it untestable.

Hamilton, who was allowed to keep his gold medal, has denied ever having used a blood transfusion but still faces a two-year ban following a failed doping test in the Vuelta.

AOC director of sport Craig Philips said Australia hoped to boost its medal haul from Athens if Hamilton was stripped of his medal and Rogers, who finished fourth in the time trial, received bronze while silver medalist Viatcheslav Ekimov from Russia would be crowned the new Olympic champion.

"Given there was blood doping, we think there is a chance that even though there has been some contamination of the B sample there may be an argument to say, well, the B sample may not be relevant," Phillips said.

"That's the case we're now pursuing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport along with the Russians. “We're hopeful that something might happen and it will be good for Michael if it does."

AOC media director Mike Tancred said AOC lawyer Simon Rofe was heading the appeal, which had received backing from Cycling Australia and Rogers.

American Bobby Julich, winner of the bronze medal in the Olympic event, has declined to get involved in the case.

Armstrong looks to Tour of Flanders
Lance Armstrong said Tuesday that he plans to compete in next year's Tour of Flanders, saying, "I want to prove to the world that I can also do this."

Armstrong made the comment during an interview scheduled for broadcast on Dutch television in January.

The Tour of Flanders, which covers a winding, sometimes cobbled, 257-kilometer route between Bruges and Meerbeke, is slated for April 3. Steffen Wesemann won the 88th Tour of Flanders World Cup race last April.

Armstrong, the only rider in history to win the Tour de France six times, suggested earlier this month, though, that he may skip next year's race to pursue other ambitions.

Armstrong has won only one spring classic, the 1996 edition of Flèche Wallonne, although he has twice narrowly missed the top spot at The Amstel Gold race. Team director Johann Bruyneel said a decision would be made on the Tour de France early in 2005.