IOC to intensify war on doping

Longitudinal blood profiling is the way forward, says Rogge

“We are convinced that longitudinal blood profiling is the way to the future,” Rogge said at the traditional press conference after the IOC executive board’s meeting with the International Association of Athletics Federation Council. “The World Anti-Doping Agency is yet to validate the test. It’s a costly affair but together with WADA, we are hopeful of simplifying the procedures.”

Rogge admitted that the method wasn’t a sure shot way of nailing dopers. “It’s important but it has limited range. It’s a method to catch cheats using EPO and blood transfusions. It’s a complementary measure to other testing but it cannot be taken as a panacea for all the ills,” he said. “We do not have many accredited labs for the test, and storing and transporting the samples create problems. But we are working to find a solution for that,” he said.

Rogge said the IAAF and IOC did discuss the Sydney Olympics women’s 100M issue, with the gold medal of that race yet to be awarded to any athlete after it was stripped from Marion Jones. Ekaterina Thanou, the second-placed athlete then, subsequently fell foul of the dope-testers, leaving the officials in a quandary.

“There is a court case pending with regard to the 4x100M race from that Olympics (where USA with Jones in the team finished third).

“It is likely to be resolved in a couple of months. Also, we still want more details regarding the Jones-Balco lab episode. Only then will we be able to award the gold medal again,” Rogge said.