JAPAN: ATHLETICS - IAAF President Lamine Diack calls on world doping authorities to get tough on drug cheats by imposing a mandatory four-year ban

Track and field's ruling IAAF 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. "We want a minimum of four years for certain substances," the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) President Lamine Diack told reporters at the news conference in Osaka, Japan on Thursday (August 23). "We said this two years ago at the congress in Helsinki, and we are reasserting that here in Osaka so that it is clear," he added. Diack also said International Olympic committee asked them to reduce sentences to two years. 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. Diack insisted, meanwhile, that the IAAF was doing everything possible to win the battle against drug cheats, and defended the IAAF's stance on doping following its congress ahead of the world championships beginning in Osaka on Saturday (August 25). "We have reinforced our declaration, we are in discussions with WADA and the general secretary about having higher sanctions for certain substances, we have started our work. And we shall start this fight the day after tomorrow, when we have the World Championships here in Osaka." Meanwhile, Diack was voted into a final four-year term as IAAF president on Wednesday (August 22).

ITN Source | August 24, 2007

Tags:. .asked. .drug. .wednesday. .saturday. .doing