DOHA: Reigning Olympic 100 metres champion Justin Gatlin of America says the proposal by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) to change the false start rule is a bit harsh on sprinters.

Gatlin, who is here to take part in the Doha Super Grand Prix to be held on Friday, May 13, said it was humane to make a mistake and felt that the present rule, where everyone gets a second chance irrespective of who made the first false start, should continue.

"When you are on the starting block, along with the fastest runners on earth, it was quite humane to get excited and make a mistake. And imagine, there is no second chance and all your efforts of a life time goes waste," he said.

He added that the present rule where an athlete making the second false start of a race is disqualified, regardless of whether they were responsible for the first, was quite fair.

"I believe the existing rule is quite reasonable. The excitement will be over with the first false start (if any) and the second time it will be business as usual, serious stuff. I am all for continuing the present rule," the American, who is coming to Doha from his victory at the Osaka Grand Prix last Saturday, said.

Gatlin, who also won the 4x100 metres relay silver and the 200M bronze medals in Athens last summer, added: "I think the current system works quite well.""

However, the world athletic body felt the current regulations
allowed an athlete to employ "gamesmanship" and unsettle his rivals and decided to put forward the new proposal at the IAAF congress in Helsinki in August.

"The opinion of a majority of council members was that this rule change would prevent gamesmanship, by penalising those athletes who deliberately false start to unsettle their rivals," said IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai. "But this is just a recommendation, and congress will take a decision in Helsinki ."
The current ruling has already caused much controversy and the new proposal is likely to lead to even more tension on the starting blocks ahead of major championship races.

Gatlin said the new rule has already been used in some of the American college championships.
But he pointed out that even the slightest move of a human being can affect the starting blocks.
"We've seen it at the 2003 World Championships in Paris. There was lot of confusion, and I think a lot more confusion will happen if we change the start rule again," said Gatlin.
During the Paris meet, a heat for the 100 metres descended into a farce when American Jon Drummond and Jamaican Asafa Powell were disqualified for a false start. The race was held up for about an hour as Drummond lay down in the middle of the track, refusing to move.

Gatlin, who opened his 2005 season by cruising to victory in the 100 metres at the Osaka Grand Prix in 10.15 seconds, said he wanted to win the World Championship race in Helsinki later this year.

"Last year I came to Doha as part of my preparations for Olympics and went on to become the champion in Athens. I hope this year too I will be able to run a good race here so that I can win the gold in Helsinki (World Championships)," he said.

Gatlin will be racing against his team-mate Shawn Crawford (USA) and Jamaican Dwight Thomas on Friday.