New doping test for Olympic cheats

Last updated: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 Print

The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has said that an effective test for human growth hormone would be ready in time for the Beijing Olympics and warned drug cheats to beware.

"We believe there is an effective test for HGH (human growth hormone)," said John Fahey, the Australian head of Wada. "I would like to say to any athlete who comes here (for the Olympic Games) with HGH in the system: beware."

HGH, a performance enhancing substance, has been virtually undetectable in the past and has severely set back the fight against doping in sport. But the recently elected head of Wada, who took over from the founder of the agency, Canadian Dick Pound, said the new tests would be ready for the August games.

'Using HGH a big mistake'
Athletes who believed that they could get away with using the hormone in the run-up to the games as long as they stopped using it prior to the event would be making a big mistake, he said.

"There is this belief that you can manage it out of your system very quickly... I don't think that any athletes who wish to cheat should put any faith in that statement any longer," said Fahey, in Beijing for talks with international Olympic officials ahead of the games.

"I am saying to you that the conventional view that is floating around, that you are okay within a short time (of ending HGH usage) ...you shouldn't believe in that conventional wisdom, because it is no longer wisdom." – (Sapa)

April 2008