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EPO test likely for Sydney
Posted: Wednesday May 10, 2000 09:47 AM
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- The Australian government on Tuesday allocated an extra $1 million Australian (U.S. $590,000) for blood testing for the banned hormone EPO at the Sydney Games. Announcing the increase as part of the federal budget, Australian Sports Minister Jackie Kelly said a blood test for EPO was now "likely to be ready," in time for Sept. 15-Oct. 1 Games. She said the funding would be given to the Australian Sports Drug Agency, and warned that athletes competing in the 2000 Olympics would be subjected to the most stringent anti-doping measures ever. "We won't tolerate tracksuit fraud," Kelly said. EPO, which enhances endurance by boosting the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells in the body, was at the center of the Tour de France drug scandal in 1998 and is believed widely used in several sports. EPO cannot be detected by standard urine tests. The government has previously allocated $1.5 million Australian (U.S. $885,000) to developing a validated test for EPO in time for the Games. In its 2000-2001 budget, the government announced it would increase its funding for the Games to $535 million Australian (U.S. $316 million), including the new funding for the EPO test. Most of the new funding -- $5 million Australian (U.S. $2.95 million) -- will be given to Australian athletes and coaches, while other money will go to the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service to help deal with the increased volumes of visitors, air and sea cargo and ships. The government predicted that the Games will boost Australia's economic growth during the period in the three months surrounding the event. "Overall, the Olympics are expected to add around $1.75 billion Australian (U.S. $1.03 billion) to services exports in 2000-01, with a fall in the current account deficit of around 1 percent of GDP in the September quarter," the budget papers said. "The Olympics are expected to have a significant impact on service exports and overall economic growth in the September quarter."
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