( dpa ) - The International Olympic Committte (IOC) said on Thursday that new rules would make it impossible for doping offenders caught at the Beijing Olympics to participate in future games.
Under rules ratified during an IOC executive board meeting in Athens, athletes who are sanctioned for six months or more for a doping offense will be banned from taking part in the next Olympics.
The rule will go into effect on July 1 and will apply to all doping offenders caught during the August 8-24 Beijing games.
The ban would apply to all major doping offences, including steroid use, which normally carries a two-year suspension for first time offenders.