The IOC charter states that “only sports that adopt and implement the anti-doping code, can be included or remain in the programme.” According to the minutes from a WADA executive board meeting in May 2008, IOC was aware that several countries and IFs were not compliant with the WADA anti-doping code when they competed in Beijing.

With the test methods that are known today, it is extremely difficult to detect doping with your own blood. But with a new blood doping test developed by Australian and Danish researchers, the era of blood doping might have limited days.

Texas Senate approves the largest programme of random steroid tests for athletes in Texan high schools. WADA applauds the efforts. Meanwhile schools in Australia protest against drug testing of non-elite Australian children.

Work has begun on a test that can detect if athletes have used genetic doping to augment the body's own production of EPO. Funded by WADA, James Rupert of University of British Columbia in Canada and Australian scientist Robin Parisotto aim to have a prototype test ready within three years.

Australian scientist Robin Parisotto developed a groundbreaking EPO test in the run-up to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Now he has begun work on a test that can discover if athletes have used genetic doping to augment their body’s production of EPO. In this excerpt from his recent book, Blood Sports, Parisotto describes what the world of sport may look like if genetic doping is allowed to go ahead.

Knowledge bank: Have the attitudes to and the use of performance enhancing drugs amongst professional cyclists changed since 1998?

Knowledge bank: This conference presentation by Sigmund Loland is a study of procedures and their justifications in the planning and carrying out of doping control in sport.

Knowledge bank: My intention today is to give you an insight into the role played by doping control agencies world-wide, using doping control as a tool, in the fight against doping in sport.