Kenyans Micah Kogo, Bernard Kiplagat and Moses Masai have pulled out of the opening leg of the 14-event Diamond League series in Doha on Friday following a car accident.The middle distance specialists were on their way to Nairobi when they were involved in a crash that left them with light bruising but otherwise unhurt, their agent Ricky Simms said.
Kogo won bronze in the 10,000m at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Masai was third in the same event at the 2009 world championships while Kiplagat was due to participate in the 5000m in Doha.
The IAAF-sanctioned Diamond League makes its debut this year and replaces the six-event Golden League series.
Meanwhile, Asafa Powell says he can lower Usain Bolt's 100m world record as he prepares for the inaugural IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha on Friday.
The new 14-event global series replaces the Golden League with Jamaica's Bolt first competing in Shanghai on 23 May.
On his compatriot's record time of 9.58 seconds, Powell said: "It's something I'm confident I can go below."
British 400m star Christine Ohuruogu will run in Qatar, while London and Gateshead also host during the summer.
Michael Rimmer (800m) and Stephanie Twell (1500m) complete the line-up of Britons in Doha.
Having clocked world record marks of 9.77 in 2005 and 9.74 in 2007, Powell is keen on reclaiming the world record after trailing in third behind the winner Bolt at the world championships in Berlin last year.
"I've been feeling good so far since the start of the year so I'm thinking positive," added the 27-year-old, whose lifetime best of 9.72, set in Lausanne two years ago, is the joint-fifth fastest in history.
Total prize money for the 14 meetings will top US$6.63m (£4.47m) and, along with promotional fees, will be used to set up a number of mouth-watering head-to-heads with the sport's biggest stars engaged with central contracts.
Olympic and world champion Bolt is scheduled to make seven appearances on the circuit, with his first in China, and is likely to meet close rival and world silver medallist Tyson Gay at least three times.
At least one from Bolt, Gay or Powell will be scheduled to run at every Diamond League meeting.
The new circuit was devised by the world governing body (IAAF) in an attempt to rejuvenate interest in athletics, which is facing increased competition from other sports, and in an economic climate of dwindling income.
Other innovations in the new league will see athletes from 32 different events taking part, with all disciplines having equal prize money. Each meeting will have prize money of $416,000 (£250,000).
There will also be a IAAF 'Diamond Race' in each event, with points available throughout the season.
Athletes with the most points at the end of the series will be awarded a four-carat diamond worth around $80,000 (£49,000).
The action will take place across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States, with Britain hosting two events (Gateshead on 11 July and London on 13/14 August) in the build-up to the 2012 Olympics.
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