www.olympic.org - Site Officiel du Mouvement Olympique

People have always attempted to artificially improve their performances using relatively simple methods. At the Rome Games in 1960, a Danish runner died after having taken a strong dose of amphetamines.

The history of the Games is littered with doping cases that have always damaged the spirit of sport as much as the athletes themselves. That is why, for more than 30 years, the IOC has been radically against doping for the following principles:

• - Protecting athletes' health
• - Respecting medical and sporting ethics
• - Maintaining equal opportunities for all during competitions

These principles are accompanied by a list of prohibited substances, methods and manipulations. Chemical substances such as beta-blockers, diuretics or amphetamines are prohibited, as are hormonal substances such as steroids or erythropoietin (EPO).

The tests implemented by the IOC Medical Commission are systematic and respect the rules which ensure their reliability. The first four competitors in each event are tested. Two other athletes are also selected at random. They are escorted to the doping control station to supply samples. The collected samples are then sent to the laboratory for analysis.

In Salt Lake City, out of a concern for transparency, the IOC is publishing, day by day, the number of tests carried out before and during the Games.

• List of controls