Athletes who commit serious doping offences should be banned for four years instead of two, the world governing athletics body IAAF reaffirmed on Thursday, according to DPA. The IAAF Congress agreed that the IAAF should push for this change, to apply for serious first-time offenders, at the World Anti- Doping Conference in November in Madrid, where the World Anti-Doping Code is under revision. "We hope that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) adopts stronger measures. We hope to define the circumstances and substances by November," said IAAF president Lamine Diack after the conclusion of the two-day congress. The IAAF said earlier in a statement that "we remain convinced that strong penalties are an important cornerstone of an effective anti-doping campaign in general, and in athletics in particular." Diack said that the IAAF had the right to go beyond the current two-year ban if considered necessary. He said that offenders are also hit by having to hand back prize money they have won. The IAAF punished first-time offenders with four-year bans until 1997, but then halved the ban after losing several lawsuits against athletes. WADA, founded in 1999, also imposes two-year bans. It remains to be seen whether other sports federations will join the IAAF motion in Madrid to for stiffer sanctions even though doping remains a serious problem in athletics and other sports.
