Hundreds of athletes who competed at the London 2012 Olympics "will have their samples retested as part of concerted efforts to use advances in science to catch drugs cheats before the Rio de Janeiro Games this summer," according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. Testers will "target athletes from specific countries and sports where suspicions have been raised, with those who are likely to compete in Rio made a priority." It is understood that it includes athletes from Russia, Kenya and Ethiopia, "all countries where anti-doping systems have been in disarray," or in Russia’s case exposed as "state-sponsored" doping. Britain is viewed as a "low-risk nation but British athletes who competed in London could also be retested if their sport is on the radar for anti-doping officials or if specific intelligence has surfaced about them." New tests for several banned drugs "have emerged since London hosted the Olympics, including one to detect specific peptides, which release human growth hormone, which can be used in both power sports and to boost recovery." IOC Medical & Scientific Dir Dr. Richard Budgett said that "further tests would be carried out in years to come." Budgett said, "There will be hundreds of samples from London that will be reanalyzed before Rio. We are working very closely with WADA and we have agreed with WADA exactly which sports and which countries we are targeting." Budgett said that not all medal-winners from London 2012 would be retested -- some "simply because the amount of urine left for testing might be too small and would be saved for the future" (LONDON TIMES, 3/15).
