Drug dispute cases may be given to CAS

IAAF secretary general Istvan Gyulai said yesterday that the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) council was studying the possibility of transferring all dispute cases, and particularly those relating to doping issues, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.

These issues are currently dealt with by the IAAF arbitration panel, which has been the subject of criticism.

"But it's a constitutional rule and we will need a two-thirds majority from the congress to make these changes," Gyulai said. "The matter is complicated by the fact that some of the arbitrators are under contract until 2003.

"We were criticised when Merlene Ottey was cleared, saying that it was the IAAF who took the decision, when it was the arbitration committee which took the decision. If the CAS had been looking after that case no one could say anything against the IAAF."

IAAF spokesman Giorgio Reineri added: "They are thinking seriously about it. That could be a solution. The council can discuss this next year and can then formulate a proposal to go to the congress."

The transfer of all cases to CAS would also be a huge financial saving for the IAAF which has spent over £500,000 this year on legal proceedings for arbitration cases.

The council was also told that a test to detect the performance enhancing drug erythropoietin (EPO) should be in use during the 2001 world championships in Edmonton, Canada.

"It's almost certain, but the final decision belongs to the anti-doping commission which will meet next spring," Reineri said.

Reineri said that research was under way, in collaboration with Dr Christiane Ayotte, head of the Montreal laboratory, to evaluate their capacity to carry out the task during the August championships.

The council forwarded to the arbitration commission the cases of Romanian triple jumper Rodica Mateescu and German javelin thrower Caroline Soboll, who both tested positive for nandrolone.

The council, which is meeting for the final time this year, also received a detailed dossier from the American governing body USA Track and Field, which was strongly criticised by both the IAAF and International Olympic Committee during September's Olympics for not releasing the names of all its athletes who had tested positive. Reineri said the dossier would be studied by the IAAF's anti-doping commission which is headed by senior vice-president Arne Lungqvist.

He said USA Track and Field had given no further information on the doping case of world shot put champion CJ Hunter, who tested positive four times for nandrolone this year.

Hunter, husband of triple Olympic champion Marion Jones, has denied knowingly taking drugs.