Justin Gatlin, whose nomination as one of the 10 male contenders for this year's World Athlete of the Year award has aroused strong criticism given his doping record, has not made it through to the final shortlist.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced today that the three men still in contention for the award, due to be made at the World Athletics Gala in Monaco on November 21, are Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, Dennis Kipruto Kimetto of Kenya and Renaud Lavillenie of France.

Gatlin, who returned to the sport in 2010 after a four-year doping ban - following a two-year ban imposed in 2001 but reduced on appeal - was unbeaten over 100 and 200 metres this season, during which he won the IAAF's Diamond Race trophy for the shorter sprint.

He also finished the season with the fastest 100 and 200m times, respectively 9.77sec and 19.68.

The IAAF insisted it had no choice but to allow Gatlin's nomination, which was made by an international panel of athletics experts including representatives from all six continental IAAF areas.

A spokesman said: "Gatlin, as an eligible athlete who has had a great season is, logically, also eligible for consideration for the Athlete of the Year contest in the absence of any bylaw to prevent that happening."

But German discus thrower Robert Harting withdrew his name from the Athlete of the Year shortlist in protest of Gatlin's nomination, while IAAF vice-president Sebastian Coe admitted he had "big problems" with the 2004 Olympic 100m champion being on the list.


There has also been criticism of the decision on social media.

This week Gatlin's manager, Renaldo Nehemiah, announced that the sprinter had been obliged to close his social media accounts because an "anonymous hacker" had posted an abusive reply to a Norwegian student who had posted a picture of himself "giving the finger" to a televisio image of Gatlin, with the accompanying comment "Druggers are not welcome!"

Now, however, potential embarrassment has been spared through the most recent round of judging which occurred through an email poll involving the World Athletics Family - comprising IAAF and International Athletics Foundation Council members, IAAF national member federations, IAAF Committee and Commission members, IAAF meeting directors, IAAF athlete ambassadors, athletes' representatives, top athletes, members of the international press, IAAF staff members and the IAAF's official partners.

Since this Award was first given in 1988, when the male and female recipients were Carl Lewis and Florence Griffith-Joyner, no athlete who had served a ban for a serious doping offence at the time of voting has won the title.

Gatlin's US compatriot LaShawn Merritt, the world and 2008 Olympic 400m champion who returned to the sport in 2011 after serving a doping ban reduced from two years to 21 months, was also among the 10 male nominations.

Of the three contenders for the male award, Barshim won the IAAF World Indoor high jump title and became the second best jumper ever behind world record holder Javier Sotomayor when he achieved 2.43m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Brussels.

Lavillenie retained his European pole vault title, having begun his year by eclipsing Sergei Bubka's 21-year-old world record of 6.15m with an effort of 6.16 in the Ukrainian's home city of Donetsk.

Kimetto set a marathon world record of 2 hours 2min 57sec in Berlin last month.


The three women finalists are Valerie Adams of New Zealand, Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia and Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands.

Adams was the Diamond Race winner at shot, remaining unbeaten in the season and taking the IAAF World Indoor and Commonwealth titles.

Dibaba began the year by breaking world indoor records at 1500 and 3,000m, and setting a world best at two miles, before taking the IAAF World Indoor 3,000m title and winning at the Continental Cup.

Schippers switched from heptathlon with dramatic effect as she won the European 100 and 200m titles and the Continental Cup 200m, setting five national records in the season.

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International cricket has been plunged into crisis by a row over pay between the West Indies players and their board that has led to the abrupt termination of their tour of India. There are now doubts over the West Indies team’s next series in South Africa, their participation in the World Cup early next year, and even their future in Test cricket – which would have a direct impact on England, who are due to play a three‑match series in the Caribbean next spring.

India have already warned that they may consider withdrawing from a scheduled tour of West Indies in 2016, a move that would have crippling financial implications on a board who are dangerously reliant, like most of the rest of the cricketing world, on Indian television revenue. That would be in addition to any legal action they take against the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for this abandonment, which has been estimated to cost India up to £31m in sponsorship and broadcasting rights.

That all adds up to a grave challenge for the International Cricket Council, which was so controversially reshaped in February to give the big three of India, England and Australia more power. But they have yet to make any public comment.

Relations between the West Indies players and their board have rarely been anything other than tense, with the latest flare-up over appearance money focusing on Wavell Hinds, an unremarkable former opener who is now the president and chief executive of the West Indies Players’ Association.


The players, led by the one-day captain, Dwayne Bravo, are said to be angry that Hinds accepted the terms offered by the WICB without consultation. That led to the dramatic announcement during the fourth match of their one-day series against India in Dharamsala on Friday that the squad would be heading straight home, without playing a scheduled Twenty20 international and three Tests. India are understood to be especially annoyed by an apparent assumption by the WICB that they would make up the shortfall.

Relations between the WICB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India had previously seemed cordial, evidenced by West Indies stepping in at short notice to provide the opposition for Sachin Tendulkar’s Test farewell in a hastily arranged series last year.

But Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, could not have been clearer in warning of the potential consequences now. “It will be very difficult to play West Indies in bilateral series in future,” he told Reuters. “They have to demonstrate the willingness that such situations never happen again. I would say that India’s next tour of West Indies is highly unlikely to go ahead in the current situation. Whatever the dispute, they should have honoured the bilateral agreement. We have suffered huge losses and the ICC is our parent body and we are going to ask them to ensure that this never happens in the future.”

Some of the greats of West Indies cricket will now be involved in the attempts to plot a course out of the mess. Richie Richardson is now the team manager and sent the email to the BCCI confirming the players’ decision, and Clive Lloyd was recently appointed chairman of selectors. Lloyd began the process of damage limitation in India, apologising and describing the decision of the players as “a mistake”. “We have great affection and love for Indian people and I hope that this will not affect our future relations,” the chairman of selectors said. “I hope the damage is not irreparable.” The WICB is to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday.

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The governing body of women’s tennis has fined the president of the Russian Tennis Federation $25,000 (£15,500) and suspended him for a year after he referred to the Williams sisters as “the Williams brothers”.

Shamil Tarpischev, a member of the International Olympic Committee, made the reference on a television chat show last week.

But his remarks were condemned by the chair of the Women’s Tennis Association, Stacey Allaster: “The statements made by Shamil Tarpischev on Russian television with respect to two of the greatest athletes in the history of women’s tennis are insulting, demeaning and have absolutely no place in our sport.

“The WTA was founded on principles of equality, opportunity and respect and Venus and Serena embody all of these attributes. Mr Tarpischev’s statements questioning their genders tarnish our great game and two of our champions. His derogatory remarks deserve to be condemned and he will be sanctioned.”

The WTA also called for Tarpischev – who is the chairman of the board for the Kremlin Cup tournament currently being held in Moscow – to issue a personal apology to the Williams sisters.

Earlier on Friday, the United States Tennis Assocaition (USTA) had described his comments as “reprehensible”.

“As the president of the USTA and a member of the board of directors of the International Tennis Federation, I call on Shamil Tarpischev to issue a formal apology to Venus and Serena Williams,” said a statement from president Dave Haggerty.

“As the president of the Russian Tennis Federation and a member of the International Olympic Committee, Mr Tarpischev is expected to conduct himself with the highest degree of integrity and sportsmanship. Unfortunately, his comments do not embody either of these traits and in fact were reprehensible.”

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• Shamil Tarpishchev referred to ‘Williams brothers’ on TV

• ‘I did not want to cause any offence or make fun’

The Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) president, Shamil Tarpishchev, has officially apologised for making an inappropriate comment about the Williams sisters on state television.

Appearing on a chat show, the programme host said: “I was at the Olympics, where Maria Sharapova was in the final, playing with one, with one of the …”

Tarpishchev responded by saying “Williams brothers”.

The Women’s Tennis Federation fined him $25,000 and demanded a personal apology as well as disqualifying him for a year from working in an organisational capacity.

“Serena and Venus [Williams] are without doubt top sportswomen and they have played tennis to the highest possible level, perhaps even a different level,” Tarpishchev said in a statement on the RTF website.

“The Williams sisters will always stand out on the tour, as they do in the sport thanks to their talent and successes. They have managed to set new standards and results that will become the new benchmark for other players.”

“My comments were spontaneous and happened after we went live on the Evening with Urgant show and they not only put tennis in a bad light, but also drives a wedge into the strong and friendly tennis family within our sport,” Tarpishchev added.

“I did not want to cause any offence or make fun of any of the sportsmen. I am sorry that the joke I made, when translated into English was taken out of the context of a chat show and so much attention has been brought towards it.

“I don’t think that the incident needed to be blown out of proportion. Everything that was said on the TV show was said without meaning to cause offence.”

Tarpishchev is also an International Olympic Committee member.

American Serena Williams, 33, is the current world number one and has won 18 grand slam singles titles.

The 34-year-old Venus, a former world number one, has seven grand slam singles titles to her name.

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Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis is one of two new members on the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) Board for the 2014-2018 term.

Lewis said its a privilege and honour to be elected to serve on the CANOC board .

" I  look forward to working with my fellow Board members.  The Board  of CANOC are stewards of the interest of the organisation. CANOC doesn't belong to the directors we hold it in trust for the members. We have to at all times act in the organisation's interest rather than self interest ".

Lewis  had been nominated by the TTOC to contest for the post of Chairman .

The CANOC constitution requires the General Assembly to elect the 7 Board members and after their election the Board members meet and decide on who will serve as chairman, secretary and treasurer.

Lewis said the Board members agreed to allow the incumbent chairman  Steve Stoute (Barbados)  to retain the position for the first two years of the four year term .

"After some robust discussion we arrived at a consensus position that was acceptable to all 7 members. We all gave our word to honour what we agreed."

The other newcomer to the CANOC Board is Alphonso Bridgewater - President of the St Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee.

Keith Joesph (St Vincent and the Grenadines)  takes over as Secretary General . Joseph replaced Senator Elton Prescott (Trinidad and Tobago) who did not seek reelection. Don Anderson (Jamaica) also didn't seek re election.

Alfred Emmanuel (St Lucia) retained his position as Treasurer, Donald McClean (Cayman Islands) and Angel Morales (US Virgin Islands), Stoute  and Joseph were the other incumbents  reelected to the CANOC Board.