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IOC: WADA to lead anti-doping task force for Rio Olympics

FILE- In this July 30, 2015 file photo, the IOC medical director Richard Budgett speaks to the Associated Press during an interview in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Armed with enhanced techniques, the IOC is retesting hundreds of doping samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to weed out drug cheats before they can compete in this year's Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Budgett said on Thursday, March 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File) FILE- In this July 30, 2015 file photo, the IOC medical director Richard Budgett speaks to the Associated Press during an interview in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Armed with enhanced techniques, the IOC is retesting hundreds of doping samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to weed out drug cheats before they can compete in this year's Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Budgett said on Thursday, March 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

By Associated Press March 15, 2016 1 min read

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) – The IOC says a special World Anti-Doping Agency task force will identify athletes who should be targeted for drug-testing ahead of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The IOC also confirms, as reported by The Associated Press last week, that hundreds of doping samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Games are being retested with enhanced techniques to catch any cheats who escaped detection at the time.

The IOC says a WADA task force is gathering information and intelligence, identifying any gaps in pre-games testing and coordinating extra doping checks in the lead-up to the Rio Games in August.

The task force “will identify athletes or groups of athletes who should be included in registered testing pools, and those who the IOC should test during the four-week period” of the Olympics.