Oct. 07--Voting has begun for the athlete of the year in track and field, but the man with the five fastest times for the 100 meters in 2015 will not be up for consideration.
Like other athletes with serious doping sanctions on their record, U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin has been excluded from Wednesday's preliminary balloting.
As was widely reported last summer, the international track federation changed its rules after Gatlin's nomination for the 2014 edition of the award stirred angry reactions throughout the sporting world.
Gatlin has been suspended for failing drug tests twice in his career, returning from his most-recent ban in 2010. The first time, he was penalized for an amphetamine contained in an attention deficit disorder medication he had taken since youth.
This year, he has largely dominated his event despite finishing second to Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt at the recent world championships.
For the 2015 IAAF male and female awards, federation officials, athletes and media will select an initial list of nine men and nine women, with voting to continue through Oct. 25. An international panel will winnow the field to three men and three women in mid-November.
The winners will be announced Nov. 28.
