LONDON, Aug 9: Amid calls to criminalise doping in some countries, including India, IAAF President Sebastian Coe today said he prefers sports bodies to be in control of sanctioning athletes as taking matters to court would �complicate� things.
Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the ongoing World Athletics Championships, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) chief said tackling doping should remain the sole prerogative of sports bodies.
In order to tackle the menace, some countries (like Ethiopia, Austria, France and Italy) have passed legislations to make doping a criminal offence.
In India too, deliberations are underway to do the same.
�There is a discussion going on now. Some say it is better for sports itself to deal with doping cases instead of doing that by the courts. Sometimes sports can impose sanctions that criminal courts cannot impose,� Coe said.
�Then you have the discussion that �does such a case go to courts first or to sports first?� If it goes to criminal courts first and a person serves a prison sentence, that may be for just three or four months. Whereas sports can impose sanctions may be of four years and thus sports can deal with it in a tougher way.
�Personally I prefer sports to be in control of sanctioning athletes. Once you allow criminal courts to be involved, the case becomes very complicated,� he added.
Turning to the ongoing World Championships, Coe said it was quite a shock for some to see Usain Bolt finish third in the 100m sprint even though he was not very surprised.
However, Coe feels it will not dent the affable Jamaican�s status as the greatest sprinter of all time.
Justin Gatlin avenged his second place finish to Bolt in five successive World Championships and Olympics finals by clinching the gold in a dramatic race on Saturday but Coe said that result will have no bearing on the Jamaican bowing out as the greatest sprinter of all time.
�Everybody wanted him (Bolt) to end his career as a winner. But it is a small part of his history. He will look back and realise that it does not actually change anything about his status, who he is and how good his races have been and how much he has done for the sport of athletics,� Coe said.
The Brit, on several occasions, has described Bolt as the greatest sprinter of all time, comparing the towering Jamaican to boxing legend Muhammad Ali for the impact he had beyond the sport.
�He (Bolt) is a showman and his remarks at the end of the race about the other athlete (Gatlin) was very generous,� Coe added.
American Gatlin, who was twice suspended earlier for doping offences, was booed by the London crowd at the packed Olympic Stadium on Saturday. Gatlin had later said that Bolt told him he did not deserve to be booed.
Asked if he expects the London crowd to boo Gatlin again during the 4x100m relay race on August 12, Coe simply said, �I think the crowd would want to watch fantastic athletics. The relay will be very competitive.�
The crowd at the stadium was stunned at the sight of Bolt being beaten in the 100m final not only by Gatlin but also by another American, Christian Coleman, who grabbed the silver.
�I was not surprised because athletics as a sport is not Hollywood movie. You never know the end. You do not know the end if you don�t reach the end. If you opened the book and if you don�t go to the last paragraph and see the line about who wins or lose, you don�t know.
�I guess we have become so used to seeing Bolt win race after race in the Olympic Games and World Championships, in Diamond Leagues and breaking world records. So, it was a shock (for some) not to see him win. But I don�t think anybody was thinking that it is impossible for him to lose,� said the Briton.
Just hours after Bolt lost to Gatlin, Coe had said that the American would not have won the gold here had he been handed a lengthier �eight-year ban, which would have in essence been a life ban� for his second dope offence in 2006. � PTI
