Athletics: The organiser of Berlin's Golden League event said athletes trained by US sprinter Justin Gatlin's coach Trevor Graham would not be invited to the September 3rd meeting and urged other top European events to do the same.
Gerhard Janetzky, managing director of Berlin's Golden League event, said that U.S. sprinter Marion Jones, who was once trained by Graham, was also "not being considered" for the meet in Berlin's Olympic Stadium.
"The nine athletes coached by Trevor Graham will not be invited," he said at a news conference today. "We cancelled negotiations with Marion Jones, who would have liked to have competed in Berlin."
The Berlin event is the final leg of a six-meet circuit of European competitions which feature a jackpot of $1 million.
The decision excludes Gatlin, the Olympic and world 100 metres champion who said he tested positive for testosterone but denies any wrongdoing, and 200 metres Olympic champion Shawn Crawford.
Dwight Thomas of Jamaica, 100 metres winner in Berlin last year, will also not be invited because of his links to Graham, the former coach of disgraced world record holder Tim Montgomery and several other athletes who have received doping suspensions.
In response Graham told Reuters by telephone on Thursday: "I have heard that but I have no comment.
"They are just going off the comments that Michael Johnson wrote about in the British newspaper."
In a British newspaper column earlier this week US former 200 and 400 Olympic champion Johnson called for Graham to be banned for life because several athletes who trained under him had tested positive.
The International Association of Athletics Federations said it would monitor Gatlin's case and if the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) procedure confirmed the violation Gatlin would receive a life ban as this was his second doping offence.
Gatlin is joint world record holder for 100 metres with Jamaican Asafa Powell.
Janetzky said that he hoped other Golden League meets in Paris, Oslo, Rome, Zurich and Brussels would be "similarly sensitive when it comes to signing athletes for their meets."
Janetzky added he hoped the Golden League meets would in the future be able to agree on a "common line".
"Unfortunately that did not work out this year," he said.
Jones, who has never failed a drugs test and has denied cheating, won the 100 metres in Paris and was second in Rome.
Zurich and Brussels will host meets later this month.