MUMBAI, India (AP) — Long jump world record holder Mike Powell says athletes caught using banned drugs should never be allowed to return to competition.
The 47-year-old American told reporters in Mumbai on Monday that athletes “should be banned for life” if found guilty and indicated that track and field has taken the lead in getting rid of doping in sport.
The comments from the former two-time world champion came only days after six Indian athletes tested positive for anabolic steroids.
Two of the six — Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose — were in the 4×400 meter relay squads that won gold at last year’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
All six athletes have been provisionally banned.
