World records in athletics could be rewritten under a “revolutionary” new proposal by the European Athletic Association announced on Monday, following an unprecedented doping scandal in the sport last year.

The proposal by a project team in the organisation suggested that world and European records can only be recognised if:

  1. The performance is achieved at competitions on a list of approved international events where the highest standards of officiating and technical equipment can be guaranteed  
  2. The athlete has been subject to an agreed number of doping control tests in the months leading up to the performance  
  3. The doping control sample taken after the record is stored and available for re-testing for 10 years.   

“Performance records that show the limits of human capabilities are one of the great strengths of our sport, but they are meaningless if people don’t really believe them,” said the president of the European Athletics Council, Svein Arne Hanse. “What we are proposing is revolutionary, not just because most world and European records will have to be replaced but because we want to change the concept of a record and raise the standards for recognition a point where everyone can be confident that everything is fair and above board.”

The proposals also recommend that a record recognition be withdrawn at any time if the athlete involved commits a doping or integrity violation , even if it does not directly impact the record performance. These proposals will now be sent to to the International Association of Athletics Federations with the recommendation that the two organisations coordinate the implementation of new record ratification rules.

IAAF chairman Sebastian Coe has already voiced his approval for the proposals: “I like this because it underlines that we [the governing bodies] have put into place doping control systems and technology that are more robust and safer than fifteen or even ten years ago.”

He added, “Of course, for this to be adopted for world records by the IAAF, it needs global approval from all Area Associations. There will be athletes, current record holders, who will feel that the history we are recalibrating will take something away from them but I think this is a step in the right direction and if organised and structured properly we have a good chance of winning back credibility in this area.”

As per the proposals, current records not established in accordance with the agreed standards will remain on the all-time list but recognition will be transferred to performances that meet the criteria.

However, this has already led to some backlash with Britain’s Paula Radcliffe, who risks losing her 2003 marathon world record under this new criteria, terming the proposals “cowardly”.