Drug cheats "face a doubling of their bans for first offences to four years under a strict new code to be agreed at the World Conference on Doping in Sport in South Africa," according to Mark Gleeson of REUTERS. Tougher "sanctions, more vigorous testing and a drive to catch the cheats and those who aid them, is due to be ratified by stakeholders," including the IOC, sports federations and national doping organizations. Besides doubling the standard ban, the new code "will also exclude offenders from the following Olympic Games." World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President John Fahey said, "The athletes have demanded a tougher approach to cheats and instead of the current two-year ban, the penalty will be doubled for first offenders." There "will also be new testing procedures, including seeking to catch cheats by using police-style investigations and intelligence gathering." Emphasis "will also be placed on not only the caught athletes but the entourage around them, like coaches, trainers and sports scientists" (REUTERS, 11/10).
