LaShawn Merritt to appear in London 2012 Olympics
The doping ban imposed on LaShawn Merritt has been recently overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The direct effect of this decision is that the athlete who has the credit of being the Olympic champion in the 400m category will be able to show
his skills in the London 2012 Olympics and defend his title.
Apart from the direct impact of the decision, the ruling could possibly have other implications. For one, the British Olympic Association might start feeling the pressure to let go of the law that puts athletes under a lifelong ban if they are found to be
taking drugs to enhance their sport performance. Not only that, the BOA might also feel pressured to provide a means for David Miller, the cyclist, and Dwain Chambers, the runner, to take part in the Olympics Games next year.
The champion athlete was placed under a two-year ban after he was found to have taken an illegal substance that is present in a “male enhancement product”. The ban was placed on Merritt by the International Olympic Committee.
However, the US Olympic Committee did not agree with the decision made by the IOC as according to the USOC’s rules, the ban should not have been longer than 21 months. Therefore, the decision of the IOC was challenged by the USOC.
The IOC made the following comments about the decision that was recently given against its ban on Merritt: "The IOC has a zero tolerance against doping and has shown and continues to show its determination to catch cheats. We are therefore naturally disappointed
since the measure was originally adopted to support the values that underpin the Olympic Movement and to protect the huge majority of athletes who compete fairly.”
This recent development in the career of Merritt has provided hope to other athletes that have been placed under a ban by the IOC as they now have a chance that an IOC ruling can be over-turned. Particularly, Millar and Chambers would be interested by the
development and may venture to appeal the ban that has been imposed on them by the IOC.
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