4,770 doping tests at the Beijing Games

4,770 doping tests were carried out in Beijing in the framework of the largest ever testing programme for an Olympic Games. The tests included 3,801 urine and 969 blood tests. Urine tests included 817 EPO tests, and blood tests covered 471 human Growth Hormone (hGH) tests. All the tests covered the 29-day period from 27 July until 24 August 2008. Athletes qualified for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games were tested by the World Anti-Doping Agency and BOCOG under the authority of the IOC. As a general rule, all top five finishers, plus a further two, were tested.

Increase from 3,600 to 4,770

The Beijing test figures show an increase of 32.5 % compared to the previous summer Games in 2004 in Athens. The tests were conducted at 41 doping control stations, 34 located in Beijing and seven in the co-host cities. All venues were equipped with a standard doping control station where blood and urine were collected.

Who did what?

As the ruling body for the Olympic Games, the IOC delegated the responsibility for implementing doping controls to the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). They acted under the IOC’s authority. The IOC Medical Commission was responsible for overseeing all doping control processes on-site, in full compliance with the IOC Anti-Doping Rules, the World Anti-Doping Code and the International Standard for Testing (ISO9001:2000).