IOC to keep doping samples eight years

Lausanne, Switzerland -- The International Olympic Committee says it will keep drug-test samples from athletes in its files for eight years, starting with the Beijing Games.

The announcement represents a big change from the policy in which the IOC kept drug test samples for 90 days if positive and 30 days if negative, USA Today reported Tuesday.

The intent, it said, is to make athletes competing this year in Beijing subject to new types of tests that may developed in the future by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

"This is definitely significant," U.S. Anti-Doping Agency spokeswoman Erin Hannan told USA Today. "I would imagine it serves as a huge deterrent to athletes."

In its announcement, the IOC said it plans to conduct 4,500 urine or blood tests of Beijing Olympic athletes, compared with 3,600 tests conducted at the 2004 Athens Games.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.