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IAAF to review 'false-start' rule

Usain Bolt looks up at the crowd in Paris July 8, 2011. UPI/David Silpa
Usain Bolt looks up at the crowd in Paris July 8, 2011. UPI/David Silpa | License Photo

DAEGU, South Korea, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- The IAAF said it would review its false-start rule because of the controversy over Usain Bolt 's disqualification at the world championships in South Korea.

Bolt, the world and Olympic record-holder in the 100-meter dash, was disqualified Sunday under the International Association of Athletics Federations' "one-strike" false-start rule introduced in 2010, Britain's Guardian reported.

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The competition in Daegu was the first major global competition at which the "one-strike" rule was in effect.

After Bolt's disqualification, the IAAF said: "While the IAAF is, of course, disappointed that Usain Bolt false-started in the final of the 100m, it is important to remember that a sport's credibility depends on its rules, and they must also be applied consistently and fairly for ALL athletes."

But an IAAF spokesman said the rule would be discussed in light of the controversy.

"The council has the power to change rules and meets two or three times a year, the next being here on Sunday," Nick Davies, IAAF director of communications, said. "There's no doubt it [the false start rule] will be on the table."

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