Coe joins FA think-tank on drug-testing methods

Sebastian Coe, the former Olympic 1500 metres champion, is to help the Football Association to review their drug-testing procedures, the FA's chief executive Mark Palios said yesterday. Coe will be part of the think-tank looking in to how dope-testing methods in football should be changed.

"As part of the FA's review of our drug- testing programme, I am delighted that Lord Coe has agreed to become involved in an advisory capacity," Palios said on the FA's website. "He has great experience in sport and government and is respected by everyone."

The issue of drugs in football has taken on a higher profile with an increase in the number of cases in the sport in the last 12 months, culminating in Rio Ferdinand being omitted from the England team because he failed to take a drug test. The FA charged the England and Manchester United defender with misconduct for missing a test at United's training ground at Carrington on 23 September, and he now faces a ban from the game. His case will be dealt with at a two-day personal hearing which is expected to take place on 18 and 19 December.

Before that, Palios is setting up a "think-tank" comprising himself, Coe, Dr Alan Hodson, the FA's chief medical officer, and representatives from UK Sport, to review the FA's testing system. The Government have asked the FA to change the current policy under which drug-testers have to go through clubs' medical officers when they decide which players they wish to test.

Coe, 46, who was elevated to the House of Lords after a spell as a Conservative MP once his glittering athletics career had ended, said: "The old arguments have gone. Once we were able to sit in the West and point fingers at the East for what they were allegedly getting up to. But now there has to be a unified fight against drugs and the family of sport has got to come together and recognise that we either go ahead together to make sport, free, fair and open, or else we don't survive."

Coe set world records at a number of middle distances throughout his career and also won the gold medal in the 1500 metres at both the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He is a vice-chairman of the London bid for the 2012 Olympic Games and in August he was elected to the ruling council of the International Association of Athletics Federations.