‘cowardly’ proposal to rescind records

and cowardly and I don’t think it achieves what they wantant it to. Instead, it casts doubtss on generations of athleticscs performances.”

European Athletics set et up a task force in January to look at the current raft of world records in light of the doping scandal that has engulfed the sport.t.

And following a meetingting of their ruling council, they ratified erasing anyny world records set beforeore 2005 and called on athletics’ governing body,ody, the IAAF, to take on board those changes. European AthleticsAt president Svein Arne Hansen said: “PerformancePerform records that showshow ththe limits of human capcapabilities are one of the gregreat strengths of our sposport but they are meaninglessmea if peoplepe don’t believeb them.

“What we are proposingp is revolutionary,revolutionar not just because most world and European recordsrec will have to be replaced but because we want to changchange the concept of a record and raise the standards for recognition to a point where everyone can be confident that everything is fair and above board.”

The proposal, if ratified by the IAAF (president Sebastian Coe is a backer, calling them “a step in the right direction”), would also affect Paula Radcliffe, whose time for the marathon of 2hours 15minutes and 25seconds set in 2003 still stands as the world’s best.

Radcliffe said in a statement: “I worked extremely hard for my PBs and they will always be valid to me. This damages my reputation. It is a heavy-handed way to wipe out some really suspicious records.”