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Lots of work has been done on anti-doping, says IAAF chief

Xinhua, August 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Lamine Diack, president of International Association of Athletics Federations, said on Friday that the world governing body on Athletics had done lots of work in the field of anti-doping.

IAAF had been blamed for their nonfeasance in the fight against doping, especially after the latest doping allegations from German broadcaster ARD and Britain's Sunday Times, as well as the announcement that 28 athletes failed tests in retests of samples from the 2005 and 2007 World Championships.

"Claims we've done nothing are ridiculous and hardly deserve an answer," said Diack, when asked about the doubt on IAAF's effort on anti-doping at a press conference after the joint meeting between IAAF and the International Olympic Committee.

"If you think one positive result is more important than a thousand negative results then I can't help you."

"Life is full of problems, and we are working on it," said Diack on the follow-up question about whether he indicated that IAAF was totally innocent on doping.

Diack was joined by IOC chief Thomas Bach in the conference. Bach refused to give any comment on IAAF's doping allegation, insisting to wait until the final result from the investigation led by World Anti-Doping Agency(WADA).

"It's too early to speculate about results," said Bach.

"WADA and its independent commission very clearly said that before 2009 - before biological passports were introduced - none of the results contained in databases could be used as proof of doping.

"They could only serve as indication for target testing and the IAAF has explained to us that it has followed up with target testing."

Bach said that he personally supported life-time bans on drug-using cases, but the life ban was against the law.

"I would still support a lifetime ban," said Bach, "but legally it's just not possible. A lifelong ban would not stand any kind of legal challenge so we have to accept that." Endi