体坛英语新闻：WADA confirms more than 30 athletes banned from Vancouver Games

VANCOUVER, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- More than 30 athletes have been prohibited from competing at the Vancouver Olympic Games for violating anti-doping rules but no more information about the issue will be revealed during the Games, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) insisted on Thursday.

"Of course that (more than ) is a significant number," said WADA's president John Fahey who believed that there were more than 17 athletes being banned during the same basic period at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Fahey confirmed that the positive tests came "in terms of months" and the banned athletes were from "more than one country, more than one sport".

However, he insisted that WADA could not give any more details about the issue as "some cases are still under the result management facet. We're not involved in the individual management of doping control result".

Fahey pinpointed that WADA's not a testing agency. Testing is the responsibility of national anti-doping organizations, sports federations and major games organizers. And the testing here in Vancouver is the responsibility of the International Olympic Committee.

"Howver in the contest of Olympic Games, WADA has developed a Fahey strategy with the IOC, with the Games organizing committee, with the international federations, national anti-doping organizations and national Olympic Committees to ensure that the pre-Games testing is targeted and gives us the best chance to catch cheats prior to competing."

According to IOC, more than 2,000 samples will be taken during the Winter Olympic Games slated for Feb. 12-28 and will all be frozen for eight years.