Positive move to end drug scourge

ALL athletes guilty of serious doping offences will be banned for a mandatory two years under new laws proposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency at their summit in Copenhagen yesterday.

The milestone decision, which hopes to bring uniformity to dealing with guilty athletes, has been welcomed by Irish Sports Council chief John Treacy as a major and positive step forward in an effort to rid all sports of the drug scourge.

“I think this is a major step forward,” Treacy said. “It will mean the harmonisation of sanctions and will the job of national ant-doping agencies a lot easier. It is an ambitious plan, but the World Anti-Doping Agency has set a goal of the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006 and that is a realistic target.”