Berlin ban for Graham's athletes

Crawford and Gatlin are training partners and friends

Organisers of next month's Berlin Golden League meeting have banned athletes trained by Justin Gatlin's coach Trevor Graham from taking part.

Olympic and world 100m champion Gatlin is facing a life ban after testing positive for testosterone.

Graham's other charges include Olympic 200m champion Shawn Crawford and world 60m champion Me'Lisa Barber.

Berlin organiser Gerhard Janetzky said: "The nine athletes under Trevor Graham will not be invited to Berlin."

The organisers have also decided not to invite triple Olympic champion Marion Jones, because of her links to the Balco scandal.

None of Jones, Crawford and Barber has ever failed a drugs test.

Janetzky said he was disappointed not all the European meetings adopted the same stance.

Jones has already competed in the Paris and Rome Golden League events, as well as the London Grand Prix.

European 100m record holder Christine Arron has complained that her sprinting rival Jones is still receiving a warm welcome from fans in some countries.

Arron told L'Equipe: "I find it sad when I read that people are still applauding her. "They are amnesic. It's a big circus."

Last year, Jones's former partner, former 100m world record holder Tim Montgomery, announced his retirement from athletics after receiving a two-year doping ban from the Court of Arbitration for Sport.