POSTED: Tuesday December 9th 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Further analysis of Beijing 2008 samples to start early January 2009

Some 4,770 doping tests were carried out in Beijing in the framework of the largest ever testing programme for an Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced today that the samples collected this summer during the Olympic Games in Beijing will be further analysed as of January next year.

All the samples have now been repatriated to the WADA-accredited laboratory in Lausanne, where the majority of the tests will be conducted.

The details of the testing programme, which will primarily target endurance events in cycling, rowing, swimming and athletics, include:

Substances
    
Tests
   
Number of samples
to be tested
   
Laboratory
EPO CERA
New version of the endurance-enhancing hormone EPO
   
Blood test recently developed by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Paris and used to retest samples from the Tour de France

   
approx. 400
   
Paris/ Lausanne
Insulin
Hormone that can enhance performance by influencing the glycogen metabolism
   
Urine test recently perfected by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Cologne
   
approx. 100
   
Cologne


The tests are due to start in January 2009, and the first results are expected to be communicated at the end of the first quarter.

As part of its zero-tolerance policy against doping, the IOC is storing samples collected during the Olympic Games for eight years. This allows the IOC to analyse samples retroactively should fully validated tests to detect new substances/methods become available.

Some 4,770 doping tests were carried out in Beijing in the framework of the largest ever testing programme for an Olympic Games. The tests included 3,801 urine and 969 blood tests. Urine tests included 817 EPO tests, and blood tests covered 471 human Growth Hormone (hGH) tests. All the tests covered the 29-day period from 27 July until 24 August 2008. Athletes qualified for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games were tested by the World Anti-Doping Agency and BOCOG under the authority of the IOC. As a general rule, all top five finishers, plus a further two, were tested.  

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Keywords · IOC · anti-doping · doping

Name: Sandrine Tonge
Organization: IOC International Olympic Committee
Email:
Phone: +41 21 621 60 00
URL: http://www.olympic.org

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