Renaldo Nehemiah, former wide receiver of the...

Renaldo Nehemiah, former wide receiver of the San Francisco 49ers and world record-holder in the 110-meter high hurdles, has been given permission to compete in next year’s World Track and Field Championships at Rome by the International Amateur Athletic Federation.

Primo Nebiolo of Italy, the federation’s president, said the decision was reached because Nehemiah has retired as a professional football player. Nebiolo said the IAAF decision has no bearing on whether Nehemiah will be eligible for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. That will be up to the International Olympic Committee.