Other / Editor / 18 February 2008 /

Olympic medallist calls for stronger punishments to warn off potential cheats as Dwain Chambers debate continues

Olympic medallist Steve Backley has claimed sporting drug cheats should be jailed to provide a stronger deterrent to those attempting to gain a competitive edge through the use of illegal substances.

The 39-year-old, one of Britain's most successful athletes, made the claim during an interview for Betfair Radio.

"Whatever the most severe punishment we can come up with, let's use it," he said.

"Make it a crime, let's put it through the law courts and make drug cheating in athletics a crime and send these people to jail.

"If you're not careful you get clean athletes who become very, very cynical."

"What message is it sending out to send to allow a drug cheat to come back into the sport and compete for medals in their national colours?"

"I point the finger at the governing body and say: 'You're weak. You're doing nothing to support the clean athletes who are out there and I think the sport will be damaged as a result of it.'"

* Listen to the full interview below.

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