Makwala labels 400m final exclusion 'sabotage'
An outbreak of gastroenteritis saw Isaac Makwala prevented from competing in the 400m final in London and the athlete has responded angrily.
Isaac Makwala has denied suffering from food poisoning after he was prevented from running in the men's 400-metre final at the IAAF World Championships in London on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old from Botswana was pulled from the 200m heats amid an outbreak of gastroenteritis at a team hotel on Monday and then denied entry to London Stadium for the 400m final a day later.
The IAAF cited a 48-hour quarantine procedure recommended by Public Health England as the reason for the exclusion.
But Makwala has insisted he should have been allowed to compete.
"They said I had food poisoning - which I don't have," he told ITV.
"I was not tested for that.
"They didn't even want to listen to me. They said 'no, you can't run because you are sick.'
"Sometimes I think maybe this is sabotage."
Simon O'Brien of the Botswana medical team was quoted by the BBC as saying: "He [Makwala] has got normal heart rate, normal body temperature.
"I believe there has been a slight confusion.
"No testing has been done. We sent messages to the IAAF saying we want our athlete to compete."
The IAAF said in a statement: "The IAAF is very sorry that the hard work and talent of Isaac Makwala won't be on display tonight but we have to think of the welfare of all athletes."