Ed Warner calls for lifetime ban for UK athletes found guilty of doping

UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner has called for any British athlete found guilty of a serious doping offence to face a lifetime ban from the sport.

Giving evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport select committee, he said his governing body is instructing its lawyers to draw up a team agreement for the World Indoor Championships in Oregon in March.

In that document, athletes must agree that they are "forfeiting the right ever to be picked for Britain again" if found guilty of a serious doping offence. 

"That has never been tested [in court] so that's the one we want to apply and we are talking to our lawyers about it," said Warner.

At the same briefing, Warner called for Russia not to be allowed back into the sport before this summer's Olympics in Rio.

Russia has been suspended from international athletics competition following a World Anti-Doping Agency report which made claims of state-sponsored doping in the country.

Warner believes the scandal has been so serious that Russian athletics should not be re-admitted to the wider Russian Olympic team.

He said: "Do I think that [the athletics team from] Russia should be back in their team for Rio, no I don't, not at all."

And asked about bidding for the next two World Championships, Warner revealed he had been informed that Doha's bids to host them had been referred to the IAAF ethics commission.

Do I think the athletics team from Russia should be back in their team for Rio, no I don't, not at all.

However, he refused to reveal the names of the IAAF figures who had told him of rumours of brown envelopes full of cash being handed out just before the vote for the 2017 World Championships, which London won ahead of the capital of Qatar, which subsequently was awarded the 2019 event.

Warner added: "I have had a number of discussions with the IAAF and they have told me the 2017 and 2019 bids by Doha have been referred to their ethics commission."

Asked if new IAAF president Lord Coe was one of those who had told him of the rumours, Warner replied: "It could have been any number of people."

He said it would be "inappropriate" to make it public before he had testified to the IAAF ethics commission.