World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Thursday that it is tuning up anti-doping tests for the Turin Winter Olympics and genetic doping cheats would be caught when it occurred in sports.

"We are working with leading genetic scientists day by day. People may try and use that method but we will be ready for them with a test," Richard Pound, chairman of the world anti-doping body, said at a press conference here on Thursday.

Gene doping, which is prohibited in WADA's list of banned substances and methods, involves transferring genes directly into human cells to blend into an athlete's own DNA in order to enhance muscle growth and increase strength or endurance.

Pound said experts in the field didn't think gene-doping has been applied in Turin, even though it was possible that somebody might have tried it. "In future years we have to assume that there will be somebody out there who will be willing to do it."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), WADA's close partner on anti-doping campaign, has also taken actions to deal with the potential threat of gene-doping in the future.

The IOC has organized, under the auspices of WADA, two extensive workshops on gene-doping, one in New York in 2002 and the other in Stockholm in December last year.

Until now, however, most experts said they didn't believe gene doping was yet in practice, suggesting it could be a threat by the time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

However, Pound refused to say whether WADA would bring in extensive genetic doping tests for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The IOC plans to conduct 1,200 doping tests at the Turin winter Olympics, which is due to open on Friday, an overall increase of 72 percent compared with the previous Games in Salt Lake City.

The testing period began with the opening of the athletes' villages on Jan. 31 and will continue until the closing of the Games on Feb. 26.

Source: Xinhua