Banned Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin was blocked by a US federal
judge yesterday to compete in this week's US athletics trials for the Beijing
Olympic Games.
Judge Lacey Collier dissolved a 10-day restraining order that would have
allowed the 26-year-old to take part in the trials in Eugene, Oregon, starting
on Friday.
He also denied Gatlin's request for a preliminary injunction in the case.
"As courts have indeed held, issues regarding whether an athlete is eligible
to participate in the Olympic Games or any of its qualifying events are reserved
solely for the USOC (United States Olympic Committee), and the courts have no
jurisdiction to entertain a private right of action that might impinge upon an
eligibility determination," Collier wrote in his ruling.
Gatlin was suspended for four years after a 2006 positive test for the male
sex hormone testosterone. The sprinter also tested positive in 2001 for
amphetamines.