Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone faces major setback as eligibility issues bar her from Diamond League final in Brussels

Reigning double Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been denied entry to participate in the Diamond League finals in Brussels. She was excluded for not meeting the qualification criteria.

After securing 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay golds at the Paris Olympics, McLaughlin-Levrone was set to compete in the Diamond League finals at the Memorial Van Damme meet, scheduled for September 13 and 14 in the Belgian capital. This would have been her first meet since the Olympic Games, where she was invited by organizers to compete in the 400m and 200m events.

However, the 25-year-old American's hopes for the Diamond League finals remain uncertain as she did not take part in any of the league's meets this year, which makes her ineligible to compete next week. By not appearing in any of the Diamond League legs in the ongoing season, she has also jeopardized her chances of securing a Global Wild Card, which allows athletes to participate in the finals if they have competed in at least one meet during the year.

Diamond League CEO Petr Stastny released a statement on Wednesday regarding Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's participation in the Brussels event and emphasized that all athletes must meet the rules and criteria to compete in the finals.

"It is not about allowing a specific athlete to compete or not. It is about rules and criteria which must be fulfilled by all to becoming eligible to compete at the WDL Final. Ms McLaughlin-Levrone does not fulfill those criteria, either by accumulating enough points or receiving a wild card," Stastny stated. (as quoted by LetsRun.com)

"The final leg of the Diamond League is not an invitational meeting, and any athlete proposed for a Global Wild Card must have competed at least in one of our events during this season," he added.

---

Carl Lewis supports Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's participation in the Diamond League finals

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone pictured at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Image via Getty)

Fans raised their eyebrows when Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was invited to compete in the Memorial Van Damme meet, especially considering her absence from the meet for the entire season.

However, she garnered support from former 10-time Olympic medalist Carl Lewis, who cited his own experience and mentioned that rule changes have occurred over the years. He took to his X handle and wrote:

"They did it for me numerous times. It's been happening for years, and It has always been a great idea. Get the best athletes to race, any way you can."

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has won only one Diamond League title in 2019 when she stood atop the podium in the 400m hurdles event.