Doping scandal can bring about change, says Sally Gunnell

Former World and Olympic champion Sally Gunnell believes the doping controversy that has engulfed athletics could provide a much-needed opportunity to clean up the sport.

Last month, The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) banned Russian athletes from international competition indefinitely, after revelations by the World Anti-Doping Agency of systematic doping and cover-ups.

"It has been really disappointing," Gunnell told Tuesday's Sportswomen show on Sky Sports News HQ.

"I'm the first one to say I'm not shocked because I think this it has been like this for a number of years. I think the saddest thing is that some of the athletes that could have been World and Olympic champions have now found out that those medals were taken by drug-taking people.

"I really hope this is an opportunity for us to clean up our sport. I think we need to look at it as a real change.  We need to look at it as something exciting for some of our youngsters coming through.

"It's going to take a few years but [the question now is] can we actually have a clean sport? We have some fantastic athletes in this country let's give them a chance to really shine."

Gunnell won 400m hurdles gold at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and she is predicting big things from the female competitors at next year's games in Rio.

"I really believe the women will shine at the Rio Olympics much more than the men," she said.

"I really believe that and not just in athletics, but in so many different sports. We've got Jess Ennis-Hill, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Morgan Lake in the heptathlon and of course Dina Asher Smith.

"We've got such young people coming up which I think is really exciting but we're so strong in other sports as well like rowing and we have people like Lizzie Armitstead in the cycling.

"There are some really strong powerful women coming through and I really believe it is their Olympics to shine."