IAAF’s Gatlin salute sends wrong message to dopers

The world of athletics has found itself in a precarious position. During the outdoor season, I had a sense there was an elephant in the room and wondered at what point is it going to be discussed, writes Derval O'Rourke. 

That point came when the IAAF, the international governing body, announced its list of candidates for the accolade of World Athlete of the Year, featuring twice convicted doping cheat Justin Gatlin.

In response, German discus thrower Robert Harting, also nominated after a stellar year, requested to have his nomination removed from the list. He didn’t want to stand alongside a known two-time doping offender.