US athletics chief Ollan Cassell has made a special trip to Rome to ask the IAAF not to ban American Olympic hopefuls who compete against suspended doping violators who have won a court order allowing them to compete in this week's US Olympic trials.
Cassell met with IAAF president Primo Nebiolo on Tuesday to seek a solution to the problem, which, in its worst scenario, could result in the IAAF attempting to ban US athletes from the Atlanta Olympics. An IAAF spokesman confirmed yesterday that the meeting had taken place, but said he was unaware if the problem had been resolved.
Nebiolo has threatened to enforce, regardless of court rulings, an IAAF rule that calls for the suspension of any person who knowingly competes against banned athletes.
Former US collegiate heptathlon champion Gea Johnson has obtained a court order permitting her to participate in the trials although suspended by the IAAF for a 1994 positive steroid test. Several other suspended athletes are expected to seek similar court rulings before the trials start today.
That could cause major problems for US athletics officials who must obey American court rulings, yet are aware of Nebiolo's stern warning.
"I am very clear, if any athlete is suspended, the athlete cannot compete (regardless of court rulings)," Nebiolo said last month in Atlanta. "If you compete against an athlete that is suspended, all the athletes who accept and compete with them will be immediately disqualified." Nebiolo issued a similar warning four years ago when the IAAF sought unsuccessfully to keep 400 metre world record holder Butch Reynolds from competing in the 1992 US Olympic trials while he appealed a doping suspension. No athletes were suspended, however, after a US Supreme Court justice upheld Reynolds' right to compete.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)