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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 30 AUGUST 2017 20 Sport SPORTTODAY ATHLETICS FOOTBALL Report reveals high level of drug use in athletics OVER 30 percent of athletes who com- peted at the 2011 world champion- ships admitted to having used banned substances in the past, according to a World Anti-Doping Agency-commis- sioned study released on Tuesday. The study, conducted by researchers from Germany's University of Tuebin- gen and Harvard Medical School in 2011, found that more than 30 percent of world championship participants and over 45 percent of athletes at the 2011 Pan-Arab Games said they had taken banned drugs. The researchers asked a total of 2,167 athletes whether they had used banned substances. A combined total of 5,187 athletes competed at those two events. The 2011 world athletics champion- ships were held in Daegu, South Ko- rea while Qatar hosted the Pan-Arab Games that year. A process of indirect questioning was used for the study titled "Doping in Two Elite Athletics Competitions Assessed by Randomized-Response Surveys" in order to guard the athletes' anonymity. More than 90 percent of athletes asked to take part agreed to do so. Only 0.5 percent of drugs tests in Dae- gu were positive, while the figure was 3.6 percent at the Pan-Arab Games. "The study shows that biological tests of blood and urine reveal only a frac- tion of doping cases," said Harrison Pope, Harvard Medical School profes- sor. "As described in the publication this is likely due to the fact that athletes have found numerous ways so as not to be caught during tests." The study's release had been delayed for years as the researchers wrangled with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the international asso- ciation of athletics federations (IAAF) over how it was to be published, re- searchers said. It has now been published in Sports Medicine magazine. WADA could not be immediately reached for comment. Athletics is desperate to improve its tarnished image after a doping scan- dal led to the banning of Russia's track and field team from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. More than 100 athletes have been found to have used drugs at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics dur- ing re-tests conducted last year by the International Olympic Committee. Goalkeeper Pickford out of England squad with muscle injury EVERTON goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has with- drawn from England's squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia with a muscle injury, the Football Association said on Tuesday. The uncapped 23-year-old sustained the injury during Everton's 2-0 Premier League defeat by Chel- sea at the weekend and has returned to his club for treatment, the FA said in a statement. "Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has left the England camp and returned to Everton," the FA said. "Having reported to St George's Park on Sunday evening, the 23-year-old underwent an assessment on a muscle injury sustained playing for his club. "After discussions between England and Everton medics, it was decided it was in the player's best interests to return to Finch Farm for further treat- ment." England manager Gareth Southgate has three oth- er goalkeepers in Jack Butland, Joe Hart and Tom Heaton available. Southgate's team top Group F and travel to base- ment-side Malta on Friday before hosting second- placed Slovakia at Wembley on Monday.