Athletics: European champion Fitschen wants doping offenders behind bars
Frankfurt, Germany (dpa) - European 10,000 metres champion Jan Fitschen of Germany wants doping offenders imprisoned if they are found guilty of substance abuse beyond doubt.
Fitschen, 29, told Thursday's edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily that the current maximum two-year competition ban wasn't enough in order to fight doping.
"You can't point a finger at someone without evidence. But I believe that anyone who is proven to have doped belongs in prison. It is not good enough if someone is banned for two years. The full force of the law is required. The state must act as well," he said.
Fitschen, a surprise European champion last August in Gothenburg, said that he was never tempted to use doping substance because he sees himself as a role model.
But he conceded that he didn't depend on high-performance sport to make a living, an issue possibly seen in a different way by those athletes with a different financial background. // © 2006 DPA
- Federer to put on Valentino
- Monica Bellucci's kiss is good addition to the 2006 Golden Ball
- Nostradamus predicts Spain as the winner of World Cup 2006
- Italian football: Leaders Inter Milan struggle to beat promoted Atalanta
- Sharapova doesn’t know her “boyfriend’s” birth date
- Draw Results and Favorites: 2006 FIFA World Cup
- Arsenal warning for semi-final
- Beckham comes to America: a red-letter day for Galaxy, MLS and US soccer
- Steaua Bucharest vs Standard Liege: 2 - 2
- Moldova's Squad Against Norway and Italy: October 8, 12