The Moroccan-born runner, who now competes for Bahrain, was one of six competitors who tested positive for the banned blood boosting drug CERA (ContinuousErythropoiesis Receptor Activator), the latest generation of Erythropoietin (EPO), and now faces being stripped of the gold medal he won in Beijing last summer.

 

Cram writing in his column published in The Guardian, said: "Seb Coe voiced his disappointment.

 

"I couldn't have been more delighted.

 

"Both of us and many others were far from surprised.

 

"If circumstantial evidence were permissible for positive tests then Ramzi would have been close to the top of most people's lists.

 

"That he managed to join a celebrated group of 1500m world and Olympic champions has been a source of nagging discomfort in the past few years."

 

Cram, the 1983 world 1500m champion and 1984 Olympic 1500m silver medallist, hopes that the case will lead to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) also cracking down on athletes who switch countries for financial gain.

 

He wrote: "The route towards a flag of convenience taken for reward must be shut down altogether.

 

"Cynicism can be a lazy standpoint but every now and then it is vindicated in such a way that one cannot help a little smile that says I told you so."