UK Anti-Doping chief: We are ‘confident about testing regime’

Allegations emerged yesterday that the winners of 34 major marathons around the world – one in four – during the period should have faced censure or investigation because of their test results, with those athletes collecting more than £3 million in prize money.

The Sunday Times is now reporting that, since 2003, seven winners, six runners-up and 7 third-placed finishers at the London Marathon have recorded blood outcomes that have been “deemed suspicious”.

Organisers of the London Marathon have criticised athletics’ governing body, the worldwide Association of Athletics Federations, for its “failure to take effective action” in the war on doping.

“We proceed to be on the forefront of anti-doping measures for marathon runners as we’re decided to make marathon operating a protected haven from doping however we can’t do all of it on our personal and rely closely on the IAAF“, Bitel stated.

In 1999 the London Marathon was the first organisation to call for blood testing but it took until 2002 for the IAAF and other authorities to get the testing in place and it was immediately introduced in London.

The Sunday Times reports that 20 blood test results from Farah held on the IAAF’s database – covering from June 2005 to May 2012 – are within the normal range.

The move defies warnings by British Athletics, who feared releasing selective data could be “misinterpreted” and could imply athletes not doing so were “guilty by omission”, as well as the IAAF, whose lawyers The Sunday Times claim have written to the newspaper suggesting athletes are unaware of the implications of making their data public.

UKAD chief government Nicole Sapstead defended her group’s organic passport system whereas insisting on her obligation to guard the athletes’ proper to privateness.

Meanwhile, it has been alleged the London Marathon was won seven times in 12 years by athletes who recorded blood test results that indicate they could have doped.

Last week’s publication by the Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD of evidence of hundreds of allegedly suspicious blood tests has drawn a robust response from officials. “We are disappointed. We’re doing more than anybody else to fight doping in our sport”. It described the revelations as displaying “the alarming extent of suspected cheating by elite athletes in the six mass public marathons around the world”.

Prominent British athletes Farah, Pavey, Andy Baddeley, Freya Murray, Hatti Archer, Emma Jackson, Lisa Dobriskey and Jenny Meadows all gave permission to release their blood-test data in an unprecedented display of openness against suspicious blood samples.

The IAAF said the scientists were not aware when they made their claims which cases had been sent away for independent review, and they are still not aware.

The only one identified was Liliya Shobukhova, who won the London Marathon’s women’s race in 2010 and a triple-champion in Chicago.

“I’ve always said that I’m happy to do whatever it takes to prove that I’m a clean athlete”.

“Regrettably, I did not hear any criticism against the many sports and anti-doping organisations who have never implemented a robust blood testing programme as part of their anti-doping programme”.