Search Olympic village for drugs, suggests peer

Police would be able to search Olympic athletes' rooms for performance-enhancing drugs under a new law being proposed for the London 2012 Games.

Lord Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association, said the measure was a "necessary" weapon to clamp down on drugs suppliers and cheats in the run-up to the Games. The peer also wants international co-operation on intelligence gathering to be made a priority.

His Bill seeks to bolster police search powers so they can look not just for illegal substances but also performance-enhancing drugs. Lord Moynihan said: "If athletes know that could happen, we are going to deter people from cheating and doing themselves harm. It is important that it should be on the statute book."

The Winter Olympics in Turin in 2006 were overshadowed by raids on Austria's biathlon and cross-country teams. Italian police received a tip-off from officials and several doping products were found.