In a strongly-worded statement released today, the DOSB Athletes' Commission claimed they fully supported proposals suggested by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

This includes reforms to ensure the greater independence of WADA, as well as a system of sanctions against national associations and countries falling foul of anti-doping rules.

Substantial and quick changes must be made, they claim, rather than continuing with the current policy of protracted meetings and commissions.

"The athletes are still horrified about the conditions with what a battle against doping is fought on the international level playing field," the DOSB statement said.

"Sport is still heavily damaged and everything needs to be done - quickly - to ensure that the athletes get back their confidence in international anti-doping management and sport organisations.

"As a matter of this urgent principle athletes see that the lifetime of a whole sport generation is running as an athlete's generation of youngsters cannot follow the lengthy voting in committees and meetings for years. 

"In time a performance sports career passes by and there is still no modern anti-doping management.

"Athletes accept an anti-doping management and they want to interact with their organisations and sport federations seriously and do their part to re-gain confidence in professional elite sports on the international level playing field."

Changes proposed by the DOSB panel include making WADA independent with regards to "budgeting, decision making and investigation form sport organisations".

A re-thinking of the governance structure is also proposed.

This would involve the "elimination of conflicts of interest and division of powers", the DOSB Athletes' Commission claimed.

It is proposed that WADA would assume responsibility for "regulating, observing and monitoring".

National Anti-Doping Organisations would act as executives while the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) would be in control of all sanctions.

There is no specific mention of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the statement, but some of their proposals made last week during an Executive Board meeting in Pyeongchang are implicitly criticised.

The IOC want CAS, rather than WADA, to regulate non-compliant organisation.

They also want equal representatives for sporting and Governmental institutions.

At present, it is not expected that the reforms will be voted on in full until a World Conference on Anti-Doping in Sport in 2019.

The DOSB Athletes' panel is chaired by fencer Max Hartung, a world champion in the team sabre event in 2014.

Other members include another fencer, IOC Athletes' Commission representative Britta Heidemann.

IOC President Thomas Bach is also a former German fencer, who was formerly the President of the DOSB. 

Reform proposals are currently being drawn-up by the IOC athletes' panel, chaired by United States' Angela Ruggiero.

Both the IOC and DOSB panel agree, however, that there should be greater athlete representations within WADA.

It is proposed that a "stronger integration and involvement of athletes in all decisions concerning anti-doping matters worldwide is a base of confidential and responsible interaction between athletes, sports federations and anti-doping bodies".