Beijing - Over 4,000 doping tests have been carried out so far as part of the anti-doping programme around the Beijing Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday. "We are now at a total of 4,133 tests of which 3,292 are urine and 848 are blood tests," IOC communications director Giselle Davies told a news conference.
"We'll get to some 4,500 by the end of the Games, the highest number of testing done in any Olympic Games as part of our efforts in the fight against doping."
The figure compares with 3,500 at the Athens Games four years ago and 2,800 at Sydney 2000. There have been four positive tests so far, compared with a total 26 four years ago.
Also Wednesday, Wang Wei, executive vice-president of the Beijing Games organizing committee BOCOG, announced that attendances for Tuesday were in the region of 90 per cent for most events.
"Out of the 36 competitions of 22 events, 18 had a spectator attendance rate of over 90 per cent," said Wang. Ten had over 80-90 per cent. Three had over 70 per cent and three over 60 per cent."
According to Wang, only the early morning and late evening hockey had an attendance rate of less than 60 per cent.
