UK Athletics (UKA) has published its document ‘A Manifesto for Clean Athletics’, which calls for a wide-ranging debate about measures that could be introduced to achieve a new era of clean athletics. In addition, following the conclusions of the Performance Oversight Committee’s (POC) Oregon Review (announced 18/09/15), UKA is publishing the recommendations.

Amongst the 14 proposals made within the Manifesto for Clean Athletics are:

·         Calling for anti-doping authorities to create a public register of athletes being tested.

·         Athletes from the leading athletics nations to have a valid blood/biological passport to compete in a world athletics championship.

·         Member federations being held accountable for loss of prize monies to athletes of other nationalities if their own athlete’s medal winning result is later annulled.

·         And UK Athletics will seek to enforce a lifetime ban against representing Great Britain for any athlete guilty of a serious anti-doping violation.

UK Athletics Chairman Ed Warner said:

“The integrity of athletics was challenged as never before in 2015.  Clean athletes and sports fans the world over have been let down. Trust in the sport is at its lowest point for decades. 

“UKA believes the time has come for radical reform if we are to help restore trust in the sport. Athletics needs to act very differently if we are to move on from the crisis facing the sport. We are publishing today a 'Manifesto for Clean Athletics'.  We cannot will the ends - a clean sport that people can trust - if we are not prepared to be bold and put in place the means to get there.

“Greater transparency, tougher sanctions, longer bans -and even resetting the clock on world records for a new era - we should be open to do whatever it takes to restore credibility in the sport. And at the heart must be a proper and appropriate funding regime for the anti-doping authorities to help confront the new challenges they face. Clean athletes the world over deserve nothing less.

“This Manifesto is obviously just one contribution to the debate. There will doubtless be many others. What matters now is that athletics faces up to the scale of the problem facing the sport and is brave enough to take the tough and radical steps to ensure its long term health - however difficult they may be. 

“We are also publishing the recommendations from our review into Oregon last summer. We had said we would wait until the USADA Report before publishing but the need for transparency overrides our previously stated position.”

This Manifesto builds on the position that UKA has taken in the sport by continuing to be the only Diamond League organiser to have a clear and stated policy to not invite athletes returning from a serious anti-doping violation.