The first sensible offer in the ongoing drugs war appeared to come from Britain's Mark Richardson this week. Richardson, along with Linford Christie, Doug Walker and Gary Cadogan, each tested positive for nandrolone but swear their innocence.

They claim that the positive result must have come from their body's conversion of ordinary high energy food and that nandrolone was produced naturally. Advisers are now contemplating making the young sprinter available to IAAF appointed scientists in order to find out if this theory is credible.

After all of the rankling and huffing, it appears to be the first serious move towards trying to clear up the whole problem. Pity they didn't think of it before they were banned for the Olympics.