The IAAF has conducted almost 600 doping tests at the 12th World Athletics Championships in Berlin, no positive case has found yet, its anti-doping operations director Gabriel Dolle said on Monday.

The IAAF has conducted 450 out-of competition blood tests from August 11 onwards and 140 urine tests in and out of competition so far, said Dolle, adding that none of them has returned positive.

The IAAF plans more than 1,000 tests overall around the August 15-23 championships.

Dolle also said that the IAAF plans to introduce a blood passport by next year and is already gathering data from 120 top athletes for the purpose, and that from suspicious athletes for target tests.

Dolle said that the IAAF wants a watertight system in place before officially starting the screening programme, saying that sufficient data in the profile and juridical support were key elements.

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2009)