JAPAN: ATHLETICS - Director of IAAF's Medical and Anti-Doping Department Gabriel Dollé calls for tougher bans for doping

Record ID: 465329

  • Title: JAPAN: ATHLETICS - Director of IAAF's Medical and Anti-Doping Department Gabriel Dollé calls for tougher bans for doping
  • Date: 25th August 2007
  • Summary: DOPING CONTROL PASS MEMBERS OF THE IAAF LOC MEDICAL AND ANTI-DOPING COMMITTEE
  • Embargoed: 9th September 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA8A2DR1LSWOIAYU39QY2E28ZA6
  • Story Text: Gabriel Dollé, the Director of the IAAF's Medical and Anti-Doping Department, calls for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to impose stronger penalties for drug offences.
    Track and field's ruling IAAF body has called on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to impose stronger penalties for drug offences, including a four-year ban for serious first-time violations.
    "At the moment there is a consensus amongst our congress to reinforce the disciplinary side, the IAAF would like to go back to the possibility of having a four-year ban for a first offence, and in any case where the circumstances are serious enough to warrant a punishment of more than the minimum two years," the Director of the IAAF's Medical and Anti-Doping Department, Gabriel Dollé told Reuters TV on Friday (August 24).
    WADA currently has a two-year penalty for serious violations by initial offenders. The agency is reviewing its anti-doping code and will adopt a revised one in November, although it is unlikely to approve the changes sought by the IAAF.
    Speaking at the doping control station in the Osaka stadium, where the IAAF Athletics World Championships begin on Saturday (August 25), Dollé said that the two-year ban was a minimum, but that while the individual athletics federations could choose longer bans, they tended to remain with the consensual two years.
    "WADA evidently has to look after the interests of the international federations amongst others, and it is obviously not easy to reach a consensus. But once again, the IAAF has decided on a position: to really want to fight against doping, with coercive measures which really act as massive dissuasive measures for cheats. So we have our reasons to really want to incite WADA to listen to the IAAF on this," he said.
    The Olympic president Jacques Rogge said that they were wholeheartedly behind the IAAF demands, and took a further stand against drug cheats when he said that athletes caught doping, even for minor offences, would automatically be banned from the next Games, something Dollé endorsed.
    Only a plea-bargain could save athletes from the ban, and even then the information traded must be highly important in the crusade against cheats. In such cases a reduction of the suspension could be considered.
    "The athletes are not the only ones responsible for doping. I think those who produce, distribute and supply the doping substances are more guilty. So it is clear that if we can get evidence about these from an athlete involved in disciplinary measures, then of course they shall be punished," the anti-doping chief said.
    Under the new IOC measures, athletes who received suspensions of six months or more would be banned from competing at the subsequent Olympics.
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