Gatlin’s attorney John Collins did not return messages. The ruling means Gatlin must wait to regain his world record in the 100 meters. He shared the record of 9.77 seconds with Jamaica’s Asafa Powell. Since then, Powell has improved the record, finishing in 9.74 seconds last September.

Gatlin, who held himself up as a role model for clean competition before his positive test, has said he doesn’t know how steroids got into his system before the April 2006 test.

Gatlin accused a disgruntled massage therapist of rubbing a steroid cream on him to trigger the positive test, but the massage therapist repeatedly denied the allegations.

The panel rejected that defence and noted Gatlin also acknowledged receiving an injection of what was purported to be vitamin B-12 from an assistant coach before the Kansas meet.

“We have no higher priority than the commitment we have made to clean competition,” US Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said. “If that means leaving behind when we go to the Games an athlete who has the talent and ability to break world records, but has also cheated, so be it. That’s an easy choice to make.”

The panel noted Gatlin’s cooperation with a federal doping investigation.

“While Mr. Gatlin seems like a complete gentleman, and was genuinely and deeply upset during his testimony, the panel cannot eliminate the possibility that Mr. Gatlin intentionally took testosterone, or that he accepted it from a coach, even though he testified to the contrary,” the ruling said.