Germany to jail athletes found guilty of doping from next year under new law

Wellington: German athletes found guilty of using doping products might find themselves imprisoned for up to three years as Germany is set to introduce anti-doping law next year.

Germany's Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said that the aim of the law is to preserve the integrity of sport and to combat doping.

The 46-page draft of the new law, which is set to be adopted in 2015, means for the first time athletes who have failed both the A and B doping test could be prosecuted, Stuff.co.nz reported.

Under the new law, possession of doping products would also be a punishable offence, regardless of the amount. Germany's minister of justice Heiko Maas said that that is a statement for clean sport and a challenge to those who dope.

Maas said that they believe that this is a milestone and the law has been long over-due.

The proposal also includes a maximum sentence of up to 10 years, in extreme cases, for those found guilty of supplying athletes with doping substances. It would apply to around 7,000 sportsmen and women regularly tested by Germany's National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) across a range of sports.

De Maiziere also said that they want to say this is not just something that concerns sport, but this is a punishable behaviour, which society as a whole believes should be punishable.

The new law would also mean that data and documents from Germany's courts or state prosecutors would have to be handed over to NADA on request, the report added.