Doping bans to double for cheaters

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — World athletics governing body the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) made a strong call yesterday for stricter punishments of athletes caught doping, saying new, revised and more stringent rules do not go far enough.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — World athletics governing body the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) made a strong call yesterday for stricter punishments of athletes caught doping, saying new, revised and more stringent rules do not go far enough.

Global sports leaders this week will ratify a stronger anti-doping code at a four-day conference in Johannesburg, which notably doubles bans for dopers from two years to four.

But the IAAF said there were “too many means of escape”.

“When clear evidence of cheating is presented, four years must truly mean four years,” IAAF council member Abby Hoffman told the conference.

“Time will tell whether the sanction regime under the new code will make more severe penalties the norm. Frankly, we believe there are too many means of escape,” she said, speaking on behalf of IAAF president Lamine Diack.

The association was concerned over a provision which allowed four-year sanctions to be reduced to two if the athlete denied the intention to cheat.

“There is no qualifying language in the code that requires athletes to provide any objective corroborating evidence beyond their own denial of intention,” said Hoffman.

“In 95 per cent of the cases we face, the athlete denies doping outright, and the blame is routinely laid at the door of a sacrificial coach, doctor or other third party,” she added.

Such a provision would “make cases more procedurally complicated, time-consuming and costly than they ought to be”.

The IAAF further disagreed that bans should be reduced if an athlete admitted to “what has already been proven by an anti-doping organisation or a sport federation”.

The new rules, which will take effect in 2015, also do not take into account anymore aggravating circumstances like a doping conspiracy.