European samples to be stored for a decade in bid to catch cheats

LONDON (Reuters) - Blood and urine samples from athletes who set European records will be stored for a minimum of 10 years in the sport's latest attempt to stamp out drug cheats, the head of European athletics said on Monday.

"We don't want cheats to ever feel that they got away with something and that they are safe because they were not caught immediately," Norwegian Svein Arne Hansen said.

Hansen, who last week set up a task force to examine the credibility of records set in European athletics, said high on his list of priorities now was "cleaning up the mess" and preventing "these types of problems" in the future.

Russian athletes are banned from competing because of state-sponsored doping. The International Olympic Committee stores samples it takes during Games for 10 years, but Europe's governing body had not operated such a policy.

Last week, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt learnt that he would lose one of his nine gold medals because relay team mate Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned substance.

Hansen told delegates at a forum staged by the Sport Integrity Global Alliance in London that the cases of doping in his sport in recent years had wounded him personally.

"I sometimes find it difficult to contain my disappointment, my frustration and my anger," he said.

"The situation is discouraging and as more accusations surface and are confirmed, it hurts every time."

Hansen said the sport's global governing body, the IAAF, had been right to issue Russia with a blanket ban, despite the protests of those Russian athletes who had never tested positive for a banned substance.

"I am well aware of the complaints and the controversy," Hansen said. "But it was the system that let them (Russian athletes) down and we had to meet our responsibility to ensure that all the participants from more than 200 countries were competing on a level playing field.

"The IAAF did the right thing. We did the only thing we could do and still remain true to our sport, to its values and to the athletes.

"And it is extremely important that other sports and other sports organisations follow our lead, learn from what we have done, and act -- not just talk -- but act accordingly."

(Editing by Ken Ferris)