Trevor Graham - file

SALVO, North Carolina (Reuters)

U.S. athletics coaches whose athletes are sanctioned for doping will be penalised under a revised USA Track and Field (USATF) policy, the national governing body announced yesterday.

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 U.S. this year, USATF spokeswoman Jill Geer said via telephone.

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 federal charges of making false statements related to the BALCO steroids investigation.

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

Lose credentials

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.

The coaches could also be penalised if they have been sanctioned as a coach or as an athlete, USATF said.

The policy requires coaches to register with the national governing body to receive USATF benefits, which include stipends of $2,000 annually for any athlete ranked in the world top 10.

Coaches could be refused the benefits if a review panel finds them ineligible because of violations by their athletes.

USATF cannot prohibit coaches from working with athletes.

"While USADA (the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) remains responsible for issuing doping bans, the (USATF) Board of Directors recognises how critical it is that we do everything we can to deny USATF benefits to those who may be influencing athletes to use drugs," USATF chief executive officer Craig Masback said in a statement.