Athletics: IAAF may help Radcliffe

The world governing body of athletics, the International Association of Athletics Federations, is willing to change the schedule of next year's Olympics to allow Paula Radcliffe to attempt a historic distance double.

Radcliffe is considering running both the marathon and the 10,000 metres. Winning both has only been achieved by the Czech Emil Zatopek at the 1952 Helsinki Games, when he also won the 5,000 metres.

The women's marathon in Athens is scheduled for 22 August, with the 10,000m final five days later. That would rule out a double bid as it takes athletes several weeks to recover from a marathon.

But Nick Davies, a spokesman for the IAAF, said: "The dates are not 100 per cent set."