The International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said on Thursday that "zero-tolerance" policy against doping would see a notable increase in drug tests to be conducted in the Beijing Olympics next year.

Looking ahead to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Rogge revealed the IOC would be enforcing their "zero tolerance" policy on doping by conducting some 4,500 tests in and out of competition.

"That is 25 percent more than in Athens in 2004 and 90 percent higher than in Sydney in 2000," said the IOC head at the opening ceremony of the World Conference on Doping in Sports.

Rogge also highlighted a series of measures recently proposed to strengthen the policy.

"These measures include the denial of participation in the next Olympic Games for athletes and their entourage who have been sanctioned for more than six months," he said.

"We will impose automatic suspensions after a positive A sample.

"We will impose stronger financial penalties for national Olympic committees and athletes and implement stricter interpretations related to Therapeutic Use Exemptions."

(Xinhua News Agency November 16, 2007)