BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The year of 2008 has seen some victories and heightened awareness in the fight against doping, driven by the Beijing Olympic Games.

BEIJING OLYMPICS

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) well publicized their "zero tolerance" stance against doping and announced a series of tough punishments and preventive measures in a bid to scare off the potential cheaters at the Beijing Games.

These measures included rejecting athletes from participating next Olympics if they are banned more than six months at the current one and storing the samples for eight years in case any new testing method is developed.

The Beijing Olympics recorded the highest ever number of tests - 4,770 with nine turned positive at present, far lower than what was expected before the Games. Twenty-six positive cases from 3,600 tests were discovered at the Athens Olympics four years ago.

The surprisingly small number was attributed to a thorough screening by the international federations, national Olympic committees and anti-doping agencies in the months leading up to the Games.

Over 30 Games-bound athletes were caught before they set their feet on Beijing.

The result has been an encouragement to all anti-doping workers.

"More sports have started developing no-notice out-of-competition testing programs. Governments have become more and more involved on many different levels, including supporting robust national test programs, " said World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) media manager Frederic Donze.

After the Games, the IOC is ready to honor its commitment by retesting from next January 500 samples from Beijing after new methods were approved by WADA to detect a new generation of erythropoietin (EPO) known as CERA and insulin.

IOC president Jacques Rogge expected more positive cases turning up from the Beijing Games samples with retesting going on. He put the final number at around 15.

Tour de France, whose reputation was tainted by doping scandals in recent years, saw four riders - Italians Leonardo Piepoli and Riccardo Ricco, German Stefan Schumacher and Austrian Bernhard Kohl - exposed of using the new blood booster drug after they initiated in applied the new method.

It was reported that the manufacturer tipped off WADA about thenew drug and the scientists were quick to develop the testing methods.

SMARTER STRATEGIES

The IOC, WADA, IFs and national Olympic committees are adopting new strategies which are more targeted. Information became crucial in catching drug cheats even if they are never tested positive.

Former American sprint queen Marion Jones was just released from her six months jailing following her conviction of lying about steroid use and check-fraud scheme. She did not failed a single dope test in more than 160 tests.

The disgraced Olympian also returned her five medals from the Sydney Olympic Games.

In November, WADA finalized a cooperation agreement with Interpol to work with the international police organization particularly in the areas of evidence gathering and information sharing.

 "2008 has been a year of further advances in the fight against doping in sport," commented Donze. "Testing tactics themselves have become smarter and more targeted."

"The spate of doping cases and investigations this year are just one indication that the fight against doping in sport has made a big step forward," he said.

CHINA WORK HARD

China promised to send a clean team to the Olympics and they kept that promise.

"Having a clean team in the Olympics Games is our goal," Chinese chef de mission Liu Peng said on the closing day of the Games.

China carried out over 6,000 tests ahead of the Games with eight positive cases. National team swimmer Ouyang Kunpeng and national team wrestler Luo Meng were banned for life.

China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) spokesperson Zhao Jian said the rigorous doping control program had seen close to 10,000 tests carried out in the Beijing lab.

"We had our hands full for the whole year, conducting the doping control both for the Games and the Chinese delegation. We have been under huge pressure but the result was satisfying," said Zhao.

More coordinated efforts were put in to tighten the management of performance-enhancing drug suppliers and manufacturers.

Ministry-level government departments, including sports, drug safety, health and public security watchdogs, joined force in the fight against doping.

"The Olympics already came to an end but China's concerted efforts against doping will not," said Jiang Zhixue, Chinese anti-doping head in sport.  

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