The cream of Australia’s Olympic team had their drug test samples locked up in cold storage in the lead-up to the Beijing Games for retesting in case suspicions arose later, officials said yesterday.
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) said in its annual report it had taken some 1,541 blood and urine samples from 846 athletes up for Olympic selection.
It then tested every member of the 433-strong Olympic team as part of a testing regime it said was the most robust ever for an Australian contingent.
Thirty percent of the Olympians were tested twice and 22 percent between two and five times, it said.
“As a further protection, in the rare event that an athlete may have been using undetectable doping substances, over 220 samples collected from athletes considered to be in medal contention were stored in the ‘Tank,’” ASADA said in reference to its long-term deep freeze storage facility.
“These samples will be available for future retesting with new technology should any allegation of doping emerge over the next eight years,” it said.
Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said it was satisfying to know that the entire Olympic team participated in the testing program.
“It sent a clear message to the rest of the world that Australia is serious about keeping the Games clean,” he said.
ASADA also tested 164 Australian athletes competing at the Paralympics.
The Australian Olympic squad brought home 46 medals, including 14 gold, from Beijing.
This meant they slipped two places to sixth on the overall medal table from their performance in Athens in 2004.
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