updated 2:48 a.m. ET Aug. 4, 2006

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Olympic Committee banned Justin Gatlin’s track coach from its training facilities Thursday, making him the first target in a newly amplified effort to quash doping in sports.

Trevor Graham, who trains the 100 meter co-world record holder accused of drug cheating, was barred indefinitely from all Olympic training centers and sites in the U.S., committee chairman Peter Ueberroth said.

Graham became the first coach to receive such a penalty, “based on the unusual number of athletes he has coached who have been convicted of doping offenses,” Ueberroth said in a conference call.

At least six athletes under Graham have received drug suspensions, and Gatlin recently disclosed a positive test in April for testosterone or other steroids. He faces a lifetime ban for what would be a second drug violation.

The ban is mostly symbolic because Graham’s athletes don’t train at the USOC’s three training centers and 12 training sites across the country. Still, it sets a new tone and could signal bigger things to come.

Graham, who answered the door Thursday at his house in Raleigh, N.C., refused to comment.

But he did speak with WRAL-TV, saying the ban was unfair.

“They’re just trying to get rid of me,” Graham said. “There are a number of people just out to get me. I’m not trusting no one right now, at this point.”

Ueberroth also announced the USOC will be issuing next week a “call to action, in capital letters,” asking for greater support and research on doping issues from the federal government and U.S. sports entities.

“This is a national issue,” Ueberroth said. “Nothing less than this will be needed, a collaborative effort. If we stand still, we run the risk of losing an entire generation of sports participants and sports fans.”

Ueberroth and USOC CEO Jim Scherr acknowledged a shift in focus for the federation. In the wake of scandal and reorganization, the USOC spent recent years reallocating resources to improve the performance of U.S. athletes.

Now, they say, the emphasis can’t be solely on winning.

“If we don’t participate with honor and dignity, then what we do means nothing,” Scherr said. “If there’s cheating, then it’s cheating other athletes, the American public and cheating the world of the legitimacy of sports.”

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The cornerstone of the USOC’s drug strategy was set in 2000, when the federation created the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Since then, USADA has become widely recognized as one of the world’s best doping agencies.

Although the association can’t comment specifically on Graham, CEO Terry Madden applauded the USOC announcements and said USADA’s efforts continue on many fronts, including those looking into criminal activity.

“USADA continues to cooperate with the federal government in its ongoing investigation into the BALCO doping scandal,” Madden said.

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