On Friday, the USATF board of directors voted to reinstate Andrew Bumbalough to an eighth-place finish in the 3k at the 2014 USATF Indoor Track & Field Championships Feb. in Albuquerque. At the USATF annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., the rules committee adopted a new rule that will enable the Games Commission to take action on clear errors. It states:

“Within 72 hours after the last event of a competition, or before a subsequent round, results can be corrected by the Games Committee if administrative error is detected, such as incorrect calculation of combined-event scores, placing or other errors based on clear and irrefutable factual evidence.”

According to the rules committee, such corrective action will not require a formal appeal.

On Feb. 22, Bumbalough led much of the men’s 3k before fading to eighth-place. He learned from teammate Lopez Lomog an hour after the race that he had been disqualified for “interference.” Through the weekend, there was no explanation forthcoming as to why the disqualification was handed down to an athlete who was not going to be headed to the IAAF World Championships in Poland.

Bumbalough and his coach reported that after the race and during his cool down near the track that they were not made aware of the disqualification by any USATF official, and it was not until Lomong and a Nike representative at their hotel confirmed that he had been disqualified.

Bumbalough’s coaches returned to the track to meet with the head meet referee who claimed that Bumbalough had looked over, made contact, and intentionally impeded Rupp. There was no video evidence presented by USATF to verify the reason for the disqualification. The referee also informed them that the window for an appeal had passed and nothing could be done.

The vote to reinstate Bumbalough on Friday came 10 months after the ordeal in Albuquerque, and as a result of a special task force that was commissioned in the spring to inquire into the DQ decision.

“We are pleased to correct this error and most of all to have taken the necessary steps to ensure it does not happen again,” USATF Chair and President Stephanie Hightower said in a USATF release. “Learning from our mistakes and correcting them when and where we can is key to continuing to improve our sport.”