DUBAI // Sebastian Coe, bidding for the presidency of world athletics’s governing body, yesterday outlined his manifesto for ridding the sport of drugs cheats.
The Briton, 58, who appeared at the Dubai Marathon as a guest of fellow IAAF council member Ahmad Al Kamali, said that, should he succeed in August’s presidential elections, he would overhaul the dope-testing system and remove it from the responsibilities of national federations.
“I believe we need to move towards a wholly-independent testing system,” said Coe, the double Olympic champion turned British politician.
“When I was in government back in the 1980s I implemented an out-of-competition, entirely independent, random dope-testing system, which then became the model for everybody and the precursor for many of the anti-doping agencies. We put a big burden on member federations.
“It would still be up to the member federations to apply sanctions, but this approach would remove any potential conflicts.”
Among those “potential conflicts” are suggestions that institutional doping at the Russian athletics federation may have been covered up by officials in the world body.
Such allegations came to light last month, but Coe said it is too early to pass judgement until the ethics committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency have reported their findings.
He said he does not believe the sport is in crisis and that testing is prevalent not just in track and field but throughout athletics.
“Usain Bolt is the most tested athlete in the world,” he said. “We had more than 30,000 tests in our sport last year, we have blood passports and we have done more than any other sport to try to have clean athletics.”
Essentially, though, it all comes down to trust. “Sport can only be underpinned by integrity. It would not have survived for three weeks, let alone 33 centuries if it didn’t have that,” Coe said after he had presented prizes to the winners of yesterday’s 10km road race.
“These people that came here today expect to witness a race that is won by someone who is faster, quicker, smarter and has better coaches – not someone that has a better set of chemists.”
Coe said he admired the 16-year-old Dubai race and hopes it can help grow the sport worldwide, while Al Kamali revealed that there soon will be another major marathon event announced for a nearby Arabian Gulf city.
“The development of Dubai is vital,” Coe said. “It is really important that the people running think of themselves as part of the track and field family.
“That is the big challenge. We all go on the golf course deluding ourselves that we are Tiger Woods. I want these guys, for a few moments, to think that they are Haile Gebrselassie.”
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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