Beijing ready for battle against doping cheats
31/7/2008 17:57
Chinese anti-doping officials pledged today to enforce a transparent and
open doping control system to combat doping cheats and host clean Olympic
Games.
"We will catch those drug-users and make sure they get penalized as
they should be," said Chen Zhiyu, anti-doping division chief of Beijing Games
organizing committee.
Beijing plans to conduct 4,500 Olympic doping tests,
about 25 percent rise from the Athens Games, which witnessed 26 doping
cases.
A total of 917 staff will work at 34 doping control stations to
collect samples, which will be tested at a lab for about 200 banned substances,
Chen said.
At the Beijing Olympics, enhanced tests will be carried out for
erythropoietin (EPO), a protein hormone which raises oxygen-rich red blood
cells, and human growth hormone (HGH), a substance that boosts strength and
speeds recovery. Both are choice performance-enhancers.
"You shall see from
the number and types of tests our resolution to host a clean Games. Those who
risk using drugs will be filtered out by a clean system," said Dai Jianping, a
Games service deputy chief.
A new test kit can track the use of HGH beyond 48
hours, and the EPO tests are also reliable, said Wu Moutian, deputy director of
the Chinese Anti-doping Agency, who oversees the lab.
Battle between
drug-users and testers has been perennial, and will be more intense at the
Beijing Games.
International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge
predicted that as many as 40 Olympians could test positive for banned substances
in Beijing.
Wu declined to make any prediction, and said the results could
only be available after all the tests are completed. "My task is to carry out
the tests in accordance with international standards. We will catch the cheater
when there is one," he said.
CHAIN OF SECURITY
The Olympic doping tests
are divided into three phases of sample collection, lab tests and publication of
results. The testing period began on July 27 when the athletes' village opened,
and would run until the end of the Games.
"We have strict regulations and
standards in accordance with IOC rules, and we have been improving our work to
form a rigorous chain of security," Games anti-doping chief Chen Zhiyu
said.
In Beijing, the top five in the events and two randomly-selected
athletes will be tested for banned substances like steroids and
blood-boosters.
At least one IOC medical representative, a WADA (World
Anti-Doping Agency) observer and a representative of the sports federations are
present at each center when the athletes are tested.
At each center, urine
samples are placed in two different containers. Once sealed, they can only be
opened in the lab, so chances of swapping the samples will be minimized, said
Chen.
Mirrors are placed on bathroom walls and those tested will be asked to
roll up their sleeves to prevent cheats, he added.
All collected specimen are
marked, put into suitcases and taken by guarded vehicles to the laboratory near
the Olympic venues. The whole process is closely watched.
"People might want
to break the rules, but we will make sure they are caught and punished," Chen
said.
"We also try not to make the athletes feel overburdened by the tests,"
he added. "Athletes whose events are scheduled late in the day are allowed to be
tested back in the village, rather than in the competition venues, so that they
can directly go back to rest."
John Fahey, the WADA president, acknowledged
the enormous and sound efforts made by China to host clean Games.
"They have
the resources and a world-class laboratory. I have little doubt that they will
make real efforts as they had in recent months in the preparation," said Fahey,
according to a video clip on the WADA website.
CLEAN HOST
Chinese sports
were embroiled in doping scandals in the 1990s and officials are making sure the
scandals will not repeat.
Seven Chinese swimmers tested positive for steroids
at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima. Four years later, another four swimmers
failed pre-competition tests before the world championships in Perth,
Australia.
To redeem its reputation, China launched a vigorous anti-doping
campaign with more intensive drug testing and harsher penalties for the
cheaters.
Ahead of the Olympics, the battle against deceitful glories are
even more intense.
China's sports chief Liu Peng called on zero-tolerance on
drug cheats and ordered more rigorous punishments.
Eight positive cases were
reported until June 20 after over 5,000 tests were carried out this year,
according to Zhao Jian, deputy director general of the China Anti-Doping
Agency.
A top backstroker Ouyang Kunpeng and wrestler Luo Meng were banned
for life for failed tests along with their coaches.
In April, China launched
a nationwide inspection to tighten the management of performance-enhancing drug
suppliers and manufacturers.
The inspection, conducted by eight government
departments, specially focused on Olympic host cities and regions with a
concentrated chemical industry.
Xinhua
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