LAUSANNE, Switzerland, June 5. ACCORDING to an Associated Press article published by the Toronto Star, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), ratified a rule shutting down drug cheats from future Olympics.
The new rule states that if an athlete has been suspended for a drug violation "of at least six months in the previous four-year period," the athlete will be unable to compete in the next Olympic Games.
The report goes on to state that "the rule goes into effect on July 1 and will first apply to eligibility for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, followed by the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The ban is not retroactive and does not affect eligibility for the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympics."
The ratification still needs to pass through one more hoop, and that is a full assembly approval at the Beijing Olympics.
Full text of Associated Press article.