Lausanne (Switzerland), Oct 23: The IOC said yesterday that detection of the designer steroid THG marked a breakthrough in anti-doping efforts and promised to "make all efforts" to test for the drug at next year's Athens Olympics.
THG, or Tetrahrydogestrinone, is at the centre of what could be the biggest doping scandal in sports.
The US anti-doping agency announced last week that several unidentified athletes tested positive for the steroid at last summer's US Track and Field Championships.
A test for THG was devised at the Olympic Doping Control Laboratory in Los Angeles after a tip-off by an anonymous track coach who provided officials with a used syringe containing the substance.
The positive cases were found after USADA retested samples from the championships.



The International Association of Athletics Federations said Tuesday it will retest some 400 samples from the World Championships held in France in August to check for THG.



"The revelations demonstrate that, in the joint efforts undertaken by sports bodies around the world, new ground has been broken in the ongoing fight against doping," the International Olympic Committee said in a statement.



"The fact is welcomed by the IOC and is seen as a significant step that clearly could have far-reaching consequences."


Bureau Report