Drug testing - EPO: There will be no test to detect the muscle-building human growth hormone (HGH) in athletes at the Sydney Olympics, the chief organiser of the Games said in Toyko yesterday.

But it was hoped the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would be able to order tests for stamina-improving EPO, added Michael Knight, president of the Sydney Organising Committee.

"I think it is clear there will be no test for human growth hormone by the time of the Sydney Games," said Knight.

HGH hit the headlines in the lead-up to the 1998 Perth world swimming championships when 13 vials of the muscle-building substance were found in the luggage of Chinese swimmer Yuan Yuan.

"We, like all of you, are anxiously waiting to see whether there will be a test for EPO," Knight said. "We are hopeful that the scientific evidence will be strong enough for the tests that have been developed for the IOC to mandate them."

Tests for EPO, developed by French and Australian scientists, are scheduled to be submitted to the IOC for approval on August 1st.

Sydney have contingency plans to implement the EPO tests during the Games (September 15th-October 1st).

"We have funds and plans to enable us to bloodtest all athletes in the testing regime if there is an available test for EPO," said Knight.

Nandrolone: The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) has dismissed as "irrelevant" the nandrolone study which resulted in the British 400 metres runner Mark Richardson having his suspension lifted on Tuesday, writes Vivek Chaudhary.

Richardson was cleared by UK Athletics on the evidence of preliminary research conducted at Aberdeen University which concluded that dietary supplements combined with exercise can produce positive results for nandrolone.

But the IAAF's vice-president, Dr Arne Ljungqvist, said yesterday: "It's not a valid study. It's nothing, it's a very minor report on a handful of individuals. A so-called study on four or five persons is not a study. I have to react strongly."

He added that the study was "irrelevant" and that "this type of minor pilot test" would never be accepted as a serious scientific study and would "never qualify for scientific publication in the scientific world".

Ljungqvist's intervention will undermine the efforts of Rodney Walker, the chairman of UK Sport, to get the research accepted.

Walker intends to write to the IAAF next week asking it to consider the new evidence on nandrolone when it meets in Monte Carlo to discuss the cases of athletes, including those of Richardson, Linford Christie, Dougie Walker and Gary Cadogan, who have tested positive for it.

But the preliminary nature of the research was underlined by Prof Vivian James, chairman of UK Sport's nandrolone committee. "I think it will be the end of the year before we have a full account of the issues surrounding nandrolone," he said.

"So far, initial research is no more than a pilot study but it is still significant. It's just the first part of the jigsaw and there is a long way to go."

UK Sport's annual report on its anti-doping programme, which was published yesterday, showed that findings for anabolic agents increased by 65 per cent from 20 positive tests in 1998-99 to 33 in 1999-2000. Three-quarters of the positive tests were for nandrolone, with more than half being detected during testing in competition.

Traffic: Officials admitted it was impossible to guarantee the smooth running of the Sydney's groaning transport system during the event, saying organisers had prepared contingency plans.

A total of 14 people were hospitalised after two railway accidents in the Sydney area on Tuesday.

Tickets: The Sydney Olympics must still sell Aust$150 million (US$89 million) in tickets to meet its budget target.

Organisers expect to get Aust$800 million in revenue from sponsorships, licensing and royalties, and $954.6 million from television rights.