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Gatlin doping ban decision to be made Friday: CAS
2008-06-05
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will rule on Friday on an appeal by reigning Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin to have his doping suspension reduced so he can defend his title at Beijing. CAS said it would publish its decision on Friday at 4:00 pm (1400GMT). Gatlin received a four-year ban from a positive test for testosterone at the Kansas Relays on April 22, 2006. It wiped out a 9.77-second victory in Doha three weeks later that equalled the then-world record. Gatlin was treated as a repeat offender after testing positive in 2001 for a stimulant in an attention-deficit disorder medication, a punishment Gatlin contends violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. A January appeal to a US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) arbitration panel went against the 26-year-old sprinter by a 2-1 vote, prompting the appeal to CAS to have the IAAF reduce the ban, currently set to end in about two years. Should CAS favour Gatlin in a timely fashion, he could run a qualifying time for the US trials, where the first 100m heats are June 28, and make his case on the track for a berth in Beijing.
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