EU sports chief seeks forgiveness for guilty athletes

Athletes found guilty of doping should be given a second chance, the European Union's top sports regulator said.
Punishments imposed by sports bodies needed to be tightened, however, EU Sports Commissioner Jan Figel told Reuters in an interview before a meeting of ministers and International Olympic Committee IOC members on Monday in Slovenia.
The return of British sprinter Dwain Chambers this month after serving a two-year ban for doping has raised the moral and ethical question of whether guilty athletes should be allowed to race again internationally or be banned for life. "It is important that people get a chance for rehabilitation, showing that they have changed and behaved accordingly," Figel said.