Sending a clean team to the Beijing Olympic Games, China is
facing a determined-to-win but difficult battle.
Some 200 days to the opening of the Beijing Games, a senior
China anti-doping official let out his concern during their efforts
to keep the Chinese athletes from doping.
"It is an Olympic Games on home soil. It will be more difficult
in terms of doping control," said Jiang Zhixue, head of Science and
Education department of the State General Administration of Sport
(SGAS). Science and Education Department is in charge of doping
control of Chinese athletes in the Chinese sports governing
body.
"If the athletes go abroad for competition, language barrier and
strange environment will work against their desire to dope if there
is any. But once they competing at home, there are so many things
and people that can influence them, which is bad news from our
point of view," Jiang explained.
"It doesn't mean the familiar environment and their friends,
relatives or coaches will give them any help. It is just that there
is room for possible loopholes in terms of doping control," he
added.
"We are going to try our best. We are determined to catch those
who dare to cheat and won't hesitate to punish them," Jiang
said.
"But first of all, we need to do everything to prevent," Jiang
said.
China has been increasing the number of tests, from 165 in 1989
to last year's 9,424 with 74 percent conducted out of
competition.
As the Olympic Games is drawing closer, China made even bigger
steps in their fight against doping, especially in 2007.
At the beginning of the year, SGAS signed agreements with
provincial sport bureaus to hold them responsible if athletes from
their provinces are tested positive in doping tests.
China's fight against doping also got strong backing from the
central government.
In May, the state council approved to set up the China
Anti-Doping Agency, which serves as an independent government
anti-doping department more emphasizing on conducting tests and
scientific researches and will carry out about 4,500 tests during
the Beijing Olympics in its state-of-art lab.
The central government called a meeting in August, aiming to
combine efforts from 11 major government departments to combat
doping more effectively.
The coordination group, chaired by SGAS director Liu Peng,
consists of experts and officials from ministries including the
Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, the
Ministry of Information Industry, the Ministry of Commerce, the
Ministry of Health, China Customs, the State Industrial and
Commercial Bureau, the General Administration of Quality
Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the State Food and Drug
Administration, and the Legislative Office of the State Council, as
well as the Organizing Committee of Beijing Olympic Games.
"We are aware that effective doping control is not confined
within the sport arena, but needs the efforts by all government and
social departments as well as cooperation from the international
community," said Duan Shijie, vice director of SGAS, at November's
World Conference on Doping in Sport in Madrid.
Education is another way to help prevent doping.
Jiang said they held anti-doping exhibitions, gave lectures and
organized anti-doping exams among young athletes to let athletes
understand harms of doping.
"I always think education is a powerful weapon in our
anti-doping fight," he said.
China's efforts were recognized by the World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA). Dick Pound, the then WADA president who once accused China
of inadequate doping tests, said during his September trip to China
and then at the world anti-doping conference that China had become
a "vanguard" of anti-doping in the world.
(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2007)