ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - The International Olympic Committee has spoken about anti-doping strategy at Winter Olympic Games in its latest video news release

Record ID: 331980

  • Title: ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - The International Olympic Committee has spoken about anti-doping strategy at Winter Olympic Games in its latest video news release
  • Date: 8th February 2006
  • Summary: ORBASSANO, NEAR TURIN, ITALY (RECENT - JANUARY 18, 2006)(REUTERS ACCESS ALL) PROFESSOR FRANCESCO BOTRE (WHITE COAT), DIRECTOR OF ANTI-DOPING CENTRE, LOOKING AT RESULTS
  • Embargoed: 23rd February 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA9XBPPN3RKJP8X57AFTSH6LG45
  • Story Text: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) repeated its strategy for combating doping in its latest video news release.
    With its regional centre for anti-doping up and running at the San Luigi hospital in Orbassano, near Turin, the IOC believes it has a modern testing centre that will be able to detect any new doping techniques used by cheats in the winter games.
    Patrick Schamasch, the IOC medical director, said "In Torino (Turin) we will do 1200 tests. Four hundred and seventy tests pre-competition, which means before the first competition of the athlete, and 783 tests in competition, post-competition, which are for normal tests after competition where we will test the five first (first five) plus one random".
    Having the facilities to be able to test down to fifth place for every event is thought to be a strong weapon against cheating.
    IOC President Jacques Rogge said that doping poses a threat to future Olympic Games. "Ultimately it could dry out the recruitment for sport because if parents do not know that we are going to do everything that we can to protect their children then they won't send them to the sports clubs in the future," he said.
    On Monday Italian government Olympic supervisor Mario Pescante said in Turin that athletes would be subject to the full vigour of the country's legal system if found guilty of doping, but would not go to prison.
    "The maximum of penal sanctions (for such offences) is two years and (for offences) up to two years we do not (serve) prison-time in Italy," said Pescante, an IOC member as well as government minister. This was the latest pronouncement on a dispute between anti-doping bodies and the Italian government, which was seen as not taking doping offences seriously.
    The IOC now establishes a high technology anti-doping centre in each Olympic city well in advance of a games. The centre near Turin can test for erythropoietine (EPO) and growth hormones being used in the blood. It can test for blood transfusion being used as a method to cheat, either by reintroducing an athlete's own blood after it has been stored, or by introducing the blood of a compatible donor. The centre is also on the look-out for any new methods which have been added to the cheat's list.
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