Radcliffe supports call for new, independent anti-doping body

Published on Tuesday 3 October 2006 00:35

PAULA Radcliffe has lent her support to calls for an independent authority to replace UK Sport as the anti-doping agency for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Steve Cram last week made the case for UK Sport to be allowed to focus on other responsibilities. And Radcliffe, the women's marathon world record holder, argued that a separate body operating in accordance with World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines could carry out the role more effectively.

Radcliffe said: "There needs to be an independent body with no links to any funding and federations - anything like that. It should be affiliated to WADA so that the rules are the same across the world."

Radcliffe, 32, advocated four-year bans for first-time drug offenders and a life suspension for a second offence when speaking at the IAAF's anti-drug symposium in Lausanne over the weekend. However she claims more understanding should be shown to athletes who miss out-of-competition tests.

IAAF vice-president Arne Ljungvist used the final speech at the high-powered three-day international conference to challenge those who argue that sports administrators are losing the war against doping. "As someone who has been involved in this fight for the past 35 years I can assure you all the situation is much better now than it was then," Ljungvist said.