Athletics/Doping: Athletes and officials from the world governing body of athletics have called for a return to four-year bans for competitors who participate in "proven aggravated doping cases".

The calls came at the end of a three-day international symposium organised by the IAAF on the subject of anti-doping in Lausanne, Switzerland.

"We were forced to reduce four-year bans to two-year bans in 1997 because of rulings in civil courts along with pressure from other sporting federations who felt that four-year bans were too much, but I think times have changed," IAAF vice-president Arne Ljungvist said yesterday.

The issue could now be presented to the IAAF's Congress at its next meeting in August 2007, but Ljungvist acknowledged that the World Anti Doping Agency (Wada) would also have to support the argument in the drafting of its new code.