Paula Radcliffe vows to campaign for tougher bans for drug cheats

Art of public speaking: Paula Radcliffe enjoys a pre-half-marathon press conference in Vienna (AP)

Paula Radcliffe has vowed to lead a worldwide campaign to pressurise the World Anti-Doping Agency into applying tougher bans on drug cheats.

Radcliffe has hit out at WADA after the Court of Arbitration for Sport yesterday ruled that the British Olympic Association's lifetime ban for drugs cheats was unenforceable under their code.

That has paved the way for the likes of sprinter Dwain Chambers and cyclist David Millar to compete at this summer's Olympics in London.

It is a scenario women's marathon world record holder Radcliffe is not comfortable with and, after claiming WADA is failing to listen to athletes, called on them to make their concerns heard.

"This isn't about Dwain Chambers; it's a far wider issue. It's about a bigger deterrent being in place," she told the Daily Express.

"If WADA is not listening to the world's athletes then we have to make them. Athletes have a voice. We can put pressure on WADA to make this tougher.

"I've always had a loud voice against the cheats and if we all do that we can make a difference. I will make a stand.

"I would like to think we could do it across the world. If all the athletes logged on to a campaign and signed their name to it, I'm sure we could do it."

PA