Former world number one Andre Agassi should be punished for taking banned substances and then lying to tennis officials about it, according to pole vault legend and IOC member Sergei Bubka.
Bubka said action should be taken against the American despite the World Anti-Doping Agency’s eight-year statute of limitations.
“I am very disappointed with this,” Ukrainian Bubka said. “When I heard that, it was just terrible.
“With Agassi’s case it is a legal issue. We should consult legal experts and see if we can do something about it. I would prefer to review it from a legal point of view and then to act,” said Bubka, a former Olympic pole vault champion whose world record stands to this day.
“It is terrible and harmful. That he lied and escaped and then continued (to compete) is really disappointing,” added Bubka, who is also a senior vice president at the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Bubka acknowledged that Agassi got away with it before the existence of WADA which was formed two years later.
“We are much better since the creation of WADA. We are better because we engage governments and I see more progress than negative points. Yes, it is painful when we see big names (involved in doping). I hate that, really.”
