Proposal would erase all European and world athletics records set before 2005

[muriel_volestrangler]

Both were reacting to proposals approved by European Athletics at the weekend – which are also strongly backed by Seb Coe, president of the International Association of Athletics Federations – that will not only require anyone who sets a world record to have been tested numerous times in the months beforehand but also to have the sample taken after their record performance is still available for retesting.

The IAAF has stored blood and urine samples only since 2005, which means the records by Edwards and Radcliffe are at risk of being struck from the books, along with Colin Jackson’s indoor 60m hurdles world record of 7.30sec set in 1994.
...
Radcliffe, meanwhile, pointed out that, if she was also stripped of her European 10,000m record, it would go to Elvan Abeylegesse, the Turkish athlete who was recently stripped of her 2007 world championship 10,000m silver medal for doping.
...
The proposal would also mean that historical world records, including Mike Powell’s extraordinary world long jump of 8.95m and Hicham El Guerrouj’s 1500m time of 3min 26.00sec would be erased from the books. Others that have long been seen as dubious, such as Florence Griffiths-Joyner’s 100m and 200m world records and numerous world bests set by eastern bloc athletes during the Cold War when state-sponsored doping was rife and there was no out-of-competition testing, would also be wiped.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/may/01/paula-radcliffe-jonathan-edwards-could-lose-world-european-athletics-records

[joeybee12]

1. Creates more problems than it solves IMHO.

It also seems to assume guilt until proven innocent.

[hughee99]

2. As the former holder of 8 world records, Coe wouldn't be losing any of them,

Although it's interesting that he's willing to assume guilt. I'm still not clear on what problem this actually fixes, though.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Significant numbers of Olympic medals from 2008 and 2012 are being reawarded

as retesting finds that medal winners had been taking drugs not detected at the time. For instance, the British 4x400m Womens' Relay team got upgraded to bronze for the 2008 Olympics, but not until 2016: http://www.skysports.com/more-sports/olympics/news/29175/10672144/great-britains-womens-4x400-metres-relay-team-to-receive-2008-olympic-bronze . And just a few days ago, one of that team was upgraded to a bronze in the 2008 heptahalon, after another athlete was disqualified (one had already been found out in 2008): http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/athletics/kelly-sotherton-emotionally-reacts-news-10291794

So I can see they want to take the same retesting attitude to records - where they can. But since, through no fault of their own, the athletes' samples from before 2005 have not been kept, it seems harsh to say "we'll forget all those records".

[hughee99]

4. Yes, I certainly understand the current problems they have

With testing and rewarding medals, I just don't understand how taking away an official world record from years ago makes any of it any better. I don't believe an athlete now will behave any different if you strip someone of a world record set in the 1990's.