CHEATS have no place in sport.

In the last 12 months, we have seen the disgrace of cyclist Lance Armstrong for taking performance-enhancing drugs and both sprinters Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay test positive for banned substances.

Former India fast bowler S Sreesanth and his Rajasthan Royals team-mate Ankeet Chavan were also banned for life for spot-fixing in matches.

This month, snooker has come under the microscope with Stephen Lee receiving a 12-year ban after being found guilty of agreeing to fix matches.

The 38-year-old, whose professional career has effectively been ended by the ruling, has pleaded his innocence and is set to appeal the ruling by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.

But in Lee’s case, and that of Sreesanth and Chavan, the message from the authorities has been loud and clear: cheat and you’ll pay the penalty.

Athletics have upped their suspension period from two to four years for those found guilty of doping offences, but that doesn’t come into force until 2015 and, in my view, isn’t long enough.

Penalties need to leave cheats in doubt that they have no place in sport.