Up to 1,000 Australian athletes to be drug tested before Beijing

Australian anti-doping authorities are launching the sort of pre-Olympic blitz they say would have exposed the likes of Marion Jones long before she admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.

The Australian Olympic Committee and the Australian Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) said 1,000 tests would be conducted on Olympic-level athletes between now and the Beijing Games. That means a minimum one each for the anticipated 480-member squad and more for those considered to be in "at risk" events.

Athlete's blood and urine samples will be stored for eight years under the plan launched by Australia's federal Sports Minister Kate Ellis on Thursday.

…