2004 Olympic 100 meter dash gold medalist, Justin Gatlin was denied an appeal to drop his 4 year ban from track & field. If the appeal had went through and Gatlin were to have won the appeal, Justin Gatlin would have been able to defend his title in The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Gatlin had already ran the times that would have qualified him for the Olympic Trials. If Justin Gatlin were reinstated, it would've brought new light and much more publicity to the 100 meter dash. I was really hoping Gatlin got a second chance. Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay would have been the front runners for the USA team. I really don't understand why track & field is so strict with their doping policies. In any other sports, if an athlete of this magnitude had got busted, they wouldn't have got punished so harshly as a track & field athlete. That doesn't mean I'm condoning doping or cheating in track in field, but I also don't believe in a "LIFE TIME BAN". It was a sad day in track & field when Jastin Gatlin was banned. I believe that the top track & field governing bodies should re-think their policies. I wonder if an athlete like Kobe Bryant got in trouble for cheating would he get a life time ban from basketball? What do you think?
