LONDON (AP) — Officials with knowledge of the decision say a sports court has overturned a disputed IOC doping rule, clearing the way for reigning Olympic 400-meter champion LaShawn Merritt to defend his title at the London Games next year.
Three officials confirmed the decision to The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement scheduled later Thursday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The officials say the court invalidated the International Olympic Committee’s rule that bars any athlete who has received a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next summer or winter games.
The case centers on Merritt, who had been ineligible to compete in London even though he completed his doping ban earlier this year.
