WADA Asks China to Increase Doping Tests for Athletes

15 August 2007 -- World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, president Dick Pound has urged 2008 Summer Olympic host China to increase the number of doping tests it carries out on its athletes.

On Wednesday, Pound asked Chinese authorities to "go the extra mile" to show the world it is serious about cracking down on doping. China has suffered several doping scandals in recent years.

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He also said he would also push for a crackdown on Chinese Internet sites that sell performance-enhancing drugs.

China has increased its doping tests from around 9,000 to 10,000, with about 70 percent of them taking place out of competition. But Pound says the Chinese are "not doing as many as they probably should."

The WADA president will travel to China next month to meet officials from the Olympic organizing committee, and says he will be "very direct" in telling them what needs to be done.

Zhao Jian, the head of the Anti-Doping Commission for the Chinese Olympic Committee, says China has learned from its doping scandals and is making progress.

Source: VOA News