Athletics: Lagat given compensation deadline

LONDON - Olympic 1500 metres silver medallist Bernard Lagat has been given until December 1 to decide whether to continue pursuing a claim for compensation from the world governing body after a failed drugs test.

A Cologne court rejected yesterday a claim from Lagat for compensation for lost earnings from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and did not accept there was any doubt about the validity of the test.

The Kenyan-born American was given until December 1 to decide whether he accepted the verdict or not.

Lagat, 30, missed the 2003 Paris world championships and some subsequent meetings after testing positive for the blood-booster EPO (erythropoietin). He was cleared after the second sample proved negative.

IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said today Lagat had never been banned but had instead agreed to withdraw from competition. He became a US citizen in March this year.

"The IAAF confirms that the athlete was not convicted of a doping violation under its rules arising from the sample collected on August 8, 2003 but this is something we have been saying publicly since 2003," he said.

The Cologne court ruled that the athlete's claim be withdrawn in its entirety and that there be no compensation paid by the IAAF to the athlete.

"We are very happy with the verdict and expect the athlete to accept it as well," Davies said.

"The IAAF regretted the third party leak that led to this matter becoming publicly known in the first place but, again, this is something that we have consistently said since 2003."

- REUTERS