Samaranch drugs plan is dismissed by Rogge

Going against the proposals of his predecessor, the new International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has ruled out any cut in the list of banned doping substances for athletes.

"With all due respect to Juan Antonio Samaranch, he is not aware of the reality in sports medicine and doping," said Rogge, a former Olympic athlete and surgeon by profession. "I know it because of my profession. It's not possible to reduce the list and we're not going to reduce the list."

In recent years Samaranch, who ran the IOC for 21 years, had recommended shortening the list of banned substances in sport, arguing that the list was unrealistic. But, while admitting that the drugs war could not be won entirely, Rogge said that the "actual level of doping was unacceptable. We'll have to fight to reduce it as much as possible."

Rogge also plans to push for greater cooperation with the World Anti-Doping Agency, set up to coordinate the global battle against drugs in sport.