IAAF rules out changing results of East German athletes

The International Amateur Athletics Federation has ruled out scrapping anyrecords or titles won by athletes from the former East Germany even if they have admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs.

An IAAF spokesman said it was too late to cancel any results and impossible under its rules.

Recent discoveries of documents showing widespread use of drugs by East German athletes have led to calls by some of their defeated competitors that the medals should be re-awarded.

Last week, an Australian swimmer took out a court action, hoping to improve her fifth place in the Olympic final to second place and a silver medal.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service