IOC says Merritt will miss London 2012

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says LaShawn Merritt will not be able to defend his 400-metre title at London 2012 following his doping suspension.



He was given a backdated 21-month ban until July 27, 2011 after testing positive for testosterone three times.



IOC spokesman Mark Adams says Merritt has fallen foul of IOC rules that were introduced in July 2008.



Adams says the rule stated that any athlete sanctioned for six months or more will be banned from the next Games.



In its verdict today, the American Arbitration Association said the IOC's rule went against the World Anti-Doping Agency code and, as a signatory to the code, the IOC could not ban Merritt from the London Games.



Merritt's ban runs from October 28, 2009, when he first tested positive, meaning he will be eligible for the 2011 World Championships next August.



As he cooperated with doping authorities, arbitrators took three months off the normal two-year ban for first-time offenders.



The 24-year-old, who also clinched the world 400-metre title in Berlin in 2009, accepted a provisional suspension earlier this year after he admitted using an over-the-counter male enhancement product containing DHEA and pregnenolone.