Paula Radcliffe - Anti Doping

Anti Doping

Radcliffe has frequently made high-profile condemnations of the use of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics. Radcliffe and team-mate Hayley Tullett cause controversy when in the heats of the 5,000 metres at the 2001 the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton; when they held up a sign protesting against the reinstatement of Russian athlete Olga Yegorova after Yegorova had tested positive for the banned substance EPO. The sign was made by Radcliffe's husband and read 'EPO Cheats Out.' It was eventually taken off them by the stadium officials, but not before it was streamed around the world. After Radcliffe and Tullett's initial protest, team mates Kathy Butler and Hayley Yelling - who both missed out on a place in the final - protested alongside coaches Mark Rowland and Alan Storey, wearing Radcliffe masks and holding up banners with mocking slogans including one which read 'Free Paula.' Radcliffe vowed to continue her fight against drugs in sport after her high profile actions in Edmonton. Since the 1999 European Cup, Radcliffe wears a red ribbon when competing to show her support for blood testing as a method of catching drugs cheats.

"We should be pleased. One of the biggest frauds has been caught. Her medals should also be taken away"

Radcliffe has advocated a system where first time offenders are banned for four years and any future offense for life. However she felt that in cases like that of Christine Ohuruogu, who missed three out of competition drugs tests, that she should be allowed to compete in the Olympics, as the BOA does not allow anyone who has served a doping ban to compete. However when Ohuruogu admitted to not trying to reach the tests Radcliffe expressed her disappointment and hoped that it was a lesson learned. When Marion Jones admitted to steroid use, Radcliffe stated that is was good for the sport that she was caught and that they had to keep testing and that people being caught is a big deterrent to would be cheats.

The rapid improvements and fast times in Radcliffe's career have also brought suspicion of doping in her case. Reflecting upon the scepticism created by incidents of doping, she said "You have to accept the situation...it would be great if we could win the battle against doping and have testing that was 100 per-cent reliable, but I don't think that will happen in my competitive career." She has previously asked for the results of her blood tests to be made public, saying that she had "absolutely no objection to my test being released".