RALEIGH, North Carolina, Aug 9 - The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency Dick Pound said on Wednesday he does not believe high-profile drugs positives by Americans Floyd Landis and Justin Gatlin would hinder future US Olympic Games bids.

Cyclist Landis and Olympic 100 metres champion Gatlin have tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone. Both have denied knowingly taking banned substances.

Their positives come at a time when the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) is considering whether to bid for the 2016 Summer Games.

"If you eliminated all countries where there were athletes getting positive tests, you would not have the Games anywhere," Pound told Reuters by telephone.

"If the U.S. is seen to be making an effort to deal with the problem, that is very much in its favour, especially since it is such a leader as a country anyway."

International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Pound, often a critic of U.S. anti-doping efforts, said he did not think the recent positive tests would negatively affect how Olympic committee members view a U.S. bid.

CLEAN TEAM

"I have the sense that under (USOC Chairman Peter) Ueberroth you have somebody who is prepared to step up to the plate and say 'enough is enough,'" Pound added.

Ueberroth announced last week that Gatlin's coach Trevor Graham had been banned from using USOC facilities due to the "unusual number of athletes he has coached who have been convicted of doping offences."

Ueberroth and USOC Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr have also said sending a drugs-free team to the 2008 Beijing Games was a high priority, even if it meant the team returned from China empty handed.

A USOC delegation visited Chicago on Wednesday and will tour San Francisco and Los Angeles later this week as part of its review of a potential 2016 Games bid.

The three cities are finalists for any U.S. bid. A final decision is expected by late fall and if the USOC does goes forward the candidate city would be selected next March.

The IOC will choose the 2016 Games host city in 2009.

Madrid has already signalled its intention to bid again while Italy, India, Japan and Brazil have also shown an interest.