MONTE CARLO, April 30: Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis has been cleared of drug offences by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF).

Lewis was one of 19 American medallists named by Wade Exum, the former United States Olympic Committee director for drug control from 1991 to 2000, who released documents revealing more than 100 positive drug tests involving US athletes from 1988 to 2000.

Included in the documents are details implicating athletes who won 19 Olympic medals from 1984 to 2000.

Lewis was just one of three gold medallists at the 1988 Olympics, along with the 200m winner Joe DeLoach and the 400m hurdle champion Andre Phillips, who Exum said tested positive at the 1988 Olympic trials in Indianapolis.

But the IAAF said Wednesday there was no case to answer.

The IAAF said it had reviewed the documents from 1988 which showed there had been eight positive findings at the US Olympic Trials for ephedrine and ephedrine-related compounds in low concentration.

Lewis said last week the USOC at the time routinely let athletes off with a warning.

The USOC first disqualified him then accepted his appeal, which was based on his assertion that he had taken the stimulant inadvertently through an over-the-counter herbal remedy.—Reuters