US to penalise coaches whose athletes dope

US athletics coaches whose athletes are sanctioned for doping will be penalised themselves under a revised USA Track and Field policy, the national governing body announced.

The policy, which comes into effect in 2007, also applies to medical personnel and agents of athletes, USATF said in a statement.

It comes in response to several high-profile doping cases that came to light in the US this year, USATF spokeswoman Jill Geer said.

They included Olympic and world champion Justin Gatlin, who tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone in April. The sprinter has denied having any knowledge of how he tested positive.

Gatlin's coach, Trevor Graham, has pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements related to the BALCO steroids investigation.

Graham has also been banned by the US Olympic Committee (USOC) from using its facilities because of the unusual number of his current or past athletes who were sanctioned for doping violations.

He has denied providing performance-enhancing drugs to any of his athletes.

Under the USATF policy, coaches and others could lose credentials to national championships, coaching stipends and positions on national team staffs if past or present athletes have served or are serving doping bans of two or more years.