THE INTERNATIONAL Amateur Athletic Federation president Primo Nebiolo yesterday defended the decision to suspend American runner Mary Slaney after a positive dope test.

The IAAF was annoyed that Slaney's case had dragged on for nearly a year in the United States with no sign of a resolution.

"The IAAF has rules and when a federation does not follow the rules, we have to do something," said Nebiolo.

Twice world champion Slaney, 38, was found to have unusually high levels of testosterone in her body at the US Olympic trials in June last year.

She was allowed to continue competing, pending hearings into her case, and finished seventh in her preliminary race in the 5,000 metres at the Atlanta Olympics and second in the 1,500 metres at the world indoor championships in Paris in March.

Until the lAAF announcement that she would he suspended until US officials decided on her case, Slaney had intended to compete in the USA Track and Field championships this month, with the aim of qualifying in the 1,500 metres for the World Championships in Athens in August.

Slaney's husband Richard yesterday accused the IAAF of "acting with malice" and said they were exceeding their powers.

"This is outrageous ... The IAAF doesn't have to right to suspend Mary. They are going outside their own regulations and rules. That's for the national governing body to decide.

"At this point, she has no intentions of going to the World Championships because of all of this nonsense. This just shows they (the IAAF) is acting with malice and disregard for anybody's rights . .. They are acting above the law."

But Nebiolo said sports federations had to take doping seriously and act swiftly to stamp it out.

"We have to be serious and I hope that national federations and other sports bodies will be serious in the same manner. If we are serious, the battle against doping will be successful, if not we will lose," he said.

Jim Coleman, a lawyer for Slaney, said: "If this is true, it would represent an extraordinary departure from the rules and practices that govern the sport.

"It would herald a troubling relationship between the international federation and other national federations.

"There is a procedure in place for dealing with these issues. We are following the procedure. I think the IAAF ought to stay out of it. If this is true, I expect our federation will oppose it.,,

The IAAF council also suspended another American runner, Sandra Farmer-Patrick, who also tested positive for testosterone.

Farmer-Patrick was banned by the US Track and Field Association for four years earlier this month for testing positive for testosterone, but IAAF spokesman George Reineri said they had yet to be informed of the ban.

"We have nothing yet from the US on any ban decision concerning Farmer-Patrick, so she was suspended as well," he said.

Farmer-Patrick ran in the Atlanta Olympics last August despite the positive test because the case had not been concluded.

IAAF president Primo Nebiolo said all athletes testing positive would now be suspended immediately.

"If a federation is reluctant to act immediately in accordance with IAAF rules, then the IAAF Council will from now on suspend the athlete until the national federation decides (a ban or not)," he told a news conference.