IOC To Retest Beijing Samples
The International Olympic Committee has announced that it is to retest 5,000 doping samples from the Beijing Olympics following the emergence of a new drug that was undetectable by the previous testing methods.
The IOC said its doping lab in Switzerland would be specifically testing for Cera, an advanced version of endurance-enhancing hormone EPO.
The decision comes after French officials detected Cera during retesting of Tour de France samples. However, it is thought the retests will cover all sports, not just cycling.
IOC president Jacques Rogge explained: ‘Our message is very clear. The IOC will not miss any opportunity to further analyse samples retroactively.
‘We hope that this will work as a strong deterrent and make athletes think twice before cheating.’
The IOC’s announcement comes 48 hours after reanalysed samples from the Tour de France using the new technology unearthed two drug cheats – Germany’s Stefan Schumacher, a double stage winner on this year’s race, and Italian Leonardo Piepoli. The original urine tests had raised suspicions but proved inconclusive.
The IOC disqualified six athletes for doping during the Beijing Games with three other cases still pending.
