3 athletes test positive for doping at track & field worlds

Three positive doping tests involving athletes not yet identified are being investigated in samples taken from the track and field world championships held in London this month.

IAAF says the athletes involved were not medallists

IAAF president Sebastian Coe has always proposed a life ban for doping. (Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images)

Three positive doping tests involving athletes not yet identified are being investigated in samples taken from the track and field world championships held in London this month.

The IAAF's independent integrity unit says: "None of the adverse findings relate to medallists."

The unit says details of the cases will be revealed "at relevant points of the disciplinary process."

The three cases emerged from 1,513 blood and urine samples collected and analyzed during the competition period. It means less than 0.2 per cent of doping control samples were positive.

The IAAF's anti-doping unit says samples will be stored for 10 years to be re-analyzed when new testing methods are developed.

The integrity unit also says no suspect betting activity was detected during the 10-day championships.