2000 Olympics: New Drug Test Unlikely
IOC officials say it’s unlikely a test for human growth hormone will be ready in time for the 2000 Olympics. HGH is considered one of the designer drugs of choice in sports today because it can’t be detected in standard urine controls. Chinese breaststroker, Yuan Yuan and her coach were caught carrying 13 vials of HGH in their luggage at the recent World Championships in Perth, Australia. The IOC is funding an international research project aimed at developing a test for HGH through the use of blood samples. But IOC medical commission chairman Prince Alexandre de Merode said a reliable test remains elusive. De Merode said, however, that there was a good chance a test for EPO, a banned substance which boosts production of red blood cells, will be ready for the Sydney Olympics.