New gene doping test not ready for Rio Olympics

By Gerald Imray, The Associated Press

The International Olympic Committee's medical and scientific director says a new test for gene doping will not be used at the Rio de Janeiro Games, although it will be used on Rio samples after the games once the procedure is approved by WADA.

Dr. Richard Budgett tells The Associated Press that the test developed in Australia to identify if an athlete is artificially adjusting their DNA to enhance performance is not yet in use at any World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory.

But Budgett says "the [doping]samples collected in Rio will at some point be tested for gene doping."

The IOC can re-test doping samples up to 10 years after an Olympics, enabling it to catch drug cheats retroactively when new testing methods become available.