In African athletics, one of Cameroon's top sprinters, Myriam Mani, will not be allowed to compete at this month’s world championships in Paris or next year's Olympics in Athens because of a doping violation.
The 26-year-old Mani was originally suspended from competition in June 2002, after testing positive for a performance-enhancing steroid drug.
However, in defiance of the sport’s world governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Mani continued to compete.
The IAAF announced August 6 that it has won its arbitration case against Mani before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The IAAF says the decision is important because it sends a very clear message to athletes that they should not compete while they are suspended.
As a result of the decision, Myriam Mani has now been suspended until May 2005. Mani won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash at last year’s African Championships in Tunisia, and a bronze medal in the 200-meters.