Athletics: Colin Jackson against world records 'reset'

Colin Jackson is a BBC athletics pundit

Former world 110m hurdles record holder Colin Jackson is against UK Athletics' proposal to reset world records.

UKA chairman Ed Warner, who floated the idea, wants a "new era" of clean athletics after recent doping scandals.

"I don't think that should be the case. World records are world records," Jackson told BBC Wales Sport.

But he wants a fresh bidding process to take place for the 2019 World Athletics Championships if allegations of corruption are proven against Qatar.

An investigation into two bids by Qatar's capital Doha for the 2017 and 2019 championships is ongoing, following allegations of bribes, Warner has told a Parliamentary select committee.

"If there has been corruption and there's time for a rebid, then yes, that should happen," said Jackson.

"If other countries are prepared to bid, and they think it was a bad way that Qatar got the championship, I see no reason why not to have a new bidding process. That's only fair."

Qatar lost out to London for the 2017 event but beat Eugene and Barcelona to secure the 2019 championships.

'I'd hate to see his record taken from him'

Jonathan Edwards is one world record holder who Colin Jackson does not want to see affected

Jackson's 110m hurdles time of 12.91 seconds, set in Stuttgart in 1993, stood for over 12 years.

"World record holders like Jonathan Edwards [triple jump] - I'd hate to see Jonathan's record taken from him," Jackson added.

"[But] athletes who broke world records and were proven later on to have been a doped athlete, then I think yes, get rid of those records."

Russian athletes 'should go to Rio'

Warner has also called for Russia to be prevented from sending an athletics team to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The country was banned from international athletics competition following an independent World Anti-Doping Agency report that alleged widespread doping by Russian athletes.

Jackson though doesn't think an Olympic ban for Russian athletes later this year would be fair on the country's clean athletes.

"There are many great athletes in Russia who are not playing with drugs, who just train hard so it's really difficult to say: 'Ban them all,'" said Jackson.

"I understand where Ed is coming from and it's a really powerful statement.

"Sometimes people have to take the fall and if somebody innocent gets dragged into it, it's really unfortunate, so I wouldn't want to see it happen."