Complete bullsh*t! For blatant doping violations, the first offense should be a lifetime ban. If you cooperate and offer "substantial assistance", whatever the hell that is, then maybe it gets shortened to a 4 year ban, but only after you pay back the millions you stole in appearance fees and prize money.
The only thing a lifetime ban would do is make the anti doping agencies raise the standard for what it takes to catch someone since EVERYONE would take them to court. Like the death penalty, lifetime bans would be VERY expensive to prove and make stick.
I think they should go the other way. 6 month bans which drop to 0 months if you can help them catch someone else.
As for paying the money back, that isn\'t going to happen. All dopers will just spend the money immediately. I think they should set up prize money as annuities so it takes winners a long time to get the money. If they are caught later, most of the money is still there, to be handed to second place. For a $50k prize you could buy a $150-200k annuity that paid over 20 years. It would also be good publicity if it sounded like the prize money went up 3 or 4 fold.
Like he says the burden of proof for imposing a lifetime ban would be pretty high.
One thing at clearly has to happen (evident by the recent case of the Russian steeplechaser) is that ALL results prior to a positive are expunged.
Getting them to pay back prize money they've already spent as part of a penalty would be hard without litigation. But maybe as the OP suggests it should be a condition for reinstatement.
RIP: D3 All-American Frank Csorba - who ran 13:56 in March - dead
RENATO can you talk about the preparation of Emile Cairess 2:06
Running for Bowerman Track Club used to be cool now its embarrassing
Hats off to my dad. He just ran a 1:42 Half Marathon and turns 75 in 2 months!
Great interview with Steve Cram - says Jakob has no chance of WRs this year