No positives so far in World Cup testing (AP) Updated: 2006-06-12 10:31
BERLIN, Germany -- FIFA's chief medical official expects the World Cup to be
drug free.
Soccer's governing body conducted more than 125 tests in 24 international
friendlies and all 32 training camps before the tournament started last Friday,
and tested two players from each team in the opening matches.
So far there have been no positives, Dr. Jiri Dvorak said Sunday, confirming
that some of the sport's biggest stars had been tested.
Dvorak demonstrated FIFA's doping test procedures in detail at a news
conference, saying he wanted to show the system was thorough.
"We want to prove there's no problem with doping or testing in football," he
said. "I get sick of being criticized for something I think we do much better
than most" other sports.
Soccer last week became the last of 28 Olympic sports to sign up to the World
Anti-Doping Agency's code, ending months of debate over whether FIFA should
agree to the globally recognized minimum two-year ban for first offenses.
FIFA's congress accepted the WADA guidelines, with the proviso it could
sanction on a case-by-case basis.
Dvorak said there was "not a great magnitude" of performance-enhancing drugs
in soccer, with the bulk of positives for recreational drugs.
He said there was a 15 percent increase in testing between 2004 and 2005 and
a decrease in the number of positive cases.
In 2004, FIFA conducted 20,750 doping tests and had 88 positive cases,
including 13 for performance-enhancing substances. Last year, 23,478 tests
turned up 78 positive cases, including nine for performance-enhancing substances
like anabolic steroids.
"We're the world leader in terms of the tests we carry out," Dvorak said.
"The big teams and the star players are right behind (the testing) -- I don't
think we'll see any problems at the World Cup."
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