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dpa
Frankfurt
Athletics authorities say a"robust"anti-doping programme is in place for the forthcoming athletics world championships.
More than 600 blood samples are to be collected before the championships, which begin in London on Friday, and 600 urine tests are planned during the 10-day event.
It follows out-of-competition tests over a 10-month period of athletes likely to compete in London which has included more than 2,000 blood tests and about 3,000 urine tests.
All samples collected at the event will be stored for re-testing at a later date in a policy began at the 2005 worlds. So far the re-testing policy has led to 27 positive cases.
The ant-doping programme for the worlds is being run by the athletics integrity unit (AIU) of the international federation IAAF and UK Athletics.
Blood samples collected before the championships are part of a programme to build athlete biological passport profiles and to detect prohibited substances such as human growth hormone, an IAAF statement said.
Onsite urine tests are to detect substances such as the red blood cell booster EPO and steroids. AIU chief David Howman said a"very comprehensive intelligence-based anti-doping programme"was in place for the world championships.
"What is key to this programme is the significant work that has been done by the unit and its partners in the 10 months leading up to the championships to ensure that athletes competing in London have been part of a robust testing programme,"he said.
