Rogge turns up heat on drug cheats

IOC president Jacques Rogge took another stand against drug cheats yesterday when he said that athletes caught doping, even for minor offences, would automatically be banned from the next Games.

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, Rogge told reporters.

"If you cheat, there will be no Olympic Games... that is the message," Rogge said, reiterating his tough stance.

Flanked by world athletics body (IAAF) chairman Lamine Diack, Rogge underlined the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) commitment to rid sport of drug cheats.

The IOC's Executive Board, meeting before the IAAF world championships in Osaka, discussed a series of measures aimed at strengthening the fight, Rogge said.

"The fight against doping in sport is a daily battle which must be fought in concert by the sports authorities, sports teams, athletes, coaches and governments," he said.

"The measures that we have reviewed today aim to reinforce the IOC's zero-tolerance policy."

Under the new measures, athletes who received suspensions of six months or more would be banned from competing at the subsequent Olympics.

But the IOC will reserve the right to reduce penalties.

"If an athlete reveals who gave him the EPO for example, who was behind it, was it the doctor or coach etcetera. If he tells of other cases, if the information is very valuable then we might consider reducing the penalty," Rogge said.

The IOC's toughened stance echoed Thursday's calls by the IAAF for four-year bans for doping offences.

Diack 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," Diack said.

WADA currently has a two-year penalty for serious violations by initial offenders.

Diack insisted that the IAAF was doing everything possible to win the battle against drug cheats.

"Nobody will get off scot-free if they win a gold medal by illegal means," he said.

"Definitely, there are cheats out there but we are doing everything we can to catch them."