Why was lashawn merritt banned

Personally, I am disgusted by this entire episode. This article is more than 11 years old. Olympic champion says he took over-the-counter medicine 'It was a foolish, immature and egotistical mistake'.

LaShawn Merritt has asked for forgiveness after accepting a provisional suspension. The year-old from Virginia tested positive for testosterone prohormones three times between October and January He cooperated with doping authorities, and arbitrators took three months off the normal two-year ban for first-time offenders. In finding Merritt's use of a product called Extenze, the arbitration panel wrote that Merritt's conduct "was exemplary and demonstrated tremendous character in making what had to be a painful and humiliating confession.

In a statement released through his attorney, Merritt said he appreciated the arbitrators' decision to cut the suspension by three months, which will allow him to defend his world title -- there are no world championships in International Olympic Committee rules state that any doping offense carrying a suspension of at least six months will result in a ban from the next Olympic Games, regardless of whether the games fall within the suspension period.

No decision has been made on Merritt's status for the London Games in Skip to main content Skip to navigation. Olympic sprinter Merritt banned 21 months. A heart attack, a rescue and a recovery at the Boston Marathon. Canada edges USA in women's hockey exhibition. Germany's Winter Olympic speed skater Claudia Pechstein, who received a two-year ban for blood doping in , wants to compete as a cyclist in next year's London Games. She said: "I am totally happy.

Justice has prevailed and now the path is clear for my 10th Olympic medal. Cas said in a statement that IOC rule 45 was "invalid and unenforceable". But the IOC responded: "The rule was in our view an efficient means to advance the fight against doping, and we were somewhat surprised by the judgement since we had taken an advisory opinion from Cas on the rule and been given a positive response.

The IOC introduced its own "increased sanction" of an automatic ban from the next Games prior to the Beijing Olympics. The Wada code, which came into force in , harmonised rules around the globe and brought in a maximum ban of two years for athletes who test positive for performance-enhancing drugs. USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun said: "This decision does not diminish our commitment to the fight against doping but, rather, ensures that athletes and national Olympic committees have certainty as they prepare for London.