Athletics took a determined step towards the reintroduction of four-year doping bans on Thursday when the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Congress approved the move recommended by its Council.

The IAAF cut its ban for first-time doping offenders from four to two years in 1997 to bring it in line with other international bodies but increasing disillusionment with the current situation has led to a U-turn, even though it might isolate the sport from others less inclined to adopt the stricter suspension approach.

“The new Wada (world anti-doping agency) Code, which will come into force on Jan 1, 2015, will reflect our firm commitment to have tougher penalties and the IAAF will return to four year sanctions for serious doping offences,” the IAAF said in a statement after its council met on Thursday.

“The IAAF has an ethical obligation to the overwhelming majority of athletes and officials who believe in clean sport.

“As a leader in this fight the IAAF has built and delivers a programme that is well resourced, far reaching, sophisticated and increasingly able to detect and remove from the sport those who breach our anti-doping rules.”

Athletics has recently been again hard-hit by a string of doping cases, ranging from high-profile athletes like Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and Veronica Campbell-Brown to multiple positive tests returned in Turkey, including some athletes as young as 17.