IOC plans tougher sanctions, Olympic ban for doping cheats

OSAKA (AP) - IOC President Jacques Rogge said serious doping offenders would be banned from the next Olympics even if their regular suspension had already ended.

Rogge told a news conference Friday that such a penalty could effectively amount to a four-year ban for athletes.

"Every athlete who is penalized for more than six months _ which would automatically be the case for anabolic steroids, blood transfusions and EPO _ could not participate in the next Games," he said after a meeting with the IAAF athletics federation.

The measure was part of a plan announced Friday to toughen the fight against doping.

Rogge also strongly backed the IAAF's push to increase the benchmark for serious first-time doping offenses in all sports from two to four years.

The World Anti Doping Agency will review its doping code at a Nov. 15-17 conference in Madrid.