ITALY is considering using civil law to crack down on the abuse of drugs in sport by taking responsibility for doping controls away from Olympic officials.

Senator Severino Lavagnini, a member of the People's Party in Italy's ruling left-wing coalition, announced draft legislation in Rome that would mean fines and even jail terms for offenders.

Along with making doping an offence, it would also hand over responsibility for the war on drugs to a network of specialised centres, taking it away from the national Olympic committee (CONI).

The backdrop to Lavagnini's move is a series of doping allegations, confessions and counterclaims in the Italian sports press in recent weeks, all of them pointing to the CONI's lack of success.