30 athletes banned from Winter Olympics over failed drugs tests

From Sportsbeat staff, in Vancouver

MORE than 30 athletes have been banned from the Winter Olympics because they have failed pre-Games drugs tests.

BAD NEWS: Wada chairman John Fahey talks to the media on the eve of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver (Getty Images)

The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed their decision at a news conference in Vancouver this morning.

Wada chairman John Fahey refused to reveal the exact number of fails or the sports involved, but confirmed the tests were carried out by individual countries and their national anti-doping agencies.

He also wouldn’t talk about the countries involved, although IOC president Jacques Rogge was critical of the doping record of Russia in a pre-Games news conference, claiming he had raised the matter with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

It is not believed there are any British athletes on the list, while Canada have also claimed they have no knowledge of any of their athletes being part of the number. 

Wada chief executive David Howman also confirmed that no athlete at the Games was under investigation.

"We are simply the repository for the information when it's reported to us by an individual country that there has been an anti-doping violation," said Fahey.

"It's not our right to put those cases into the public domain. We haven't got the right to give you names and sports.

“The number is significant and it can’t be ignored.

"But there are 30 less cheats in Vancouver over the next couple of weeks and that is terrific news for the clean athletes who will be competing here, and they are in an overwhelming majority.

"What this tells me is the approach around the world is to ensure they (teams) are not embarrassed by cheats representing their nations at the Olympics."

The International Olympic Committee will be conducting more than 2,000 drugs tests across all sports, of which 500 will be blood tests.

They will also freeze samples for eight years, retesting them for yet unknown substances once tests have been devised.

"The message is very simple - if you get away today, you may be identified tomorrow," said Professor Arne Lundqvist, head of the IOC's medical commission earlier this week.

"We are in no hurry, we have eight years. However, the sooner you identify a cheat the better as far as I'm concerned."