IOC chief backs plan for 4-year doping bans

(AP) IOC President Jacques Rogge says he supports proposals to double the length of doping bans to four years as a way of keeping drug cheats out of the Olympics.

The World Anti-Doping Agency is planning to raise the penalty from two to four years for serious drug violations in the next version of the global anti-doping code, which comes up for approval next year and goes into effect in 2015.

Speaking to reporters at a conference in Amsterdam, Rogge said Monday the proposal is something that satisfies us in that it endorses increases sanctioning for what I would call heavy doping.