Beijing spells out drugs warning to athletes

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing organizers plan to keep medicines with stimulants away from athletes to avoid any false positive tests as they prepared to host a drug-free Olympics.

Hosts China banned two athletes and their coaches for life this summer, pledging zero tolerance for banned substances.

"We are specially marking all drugs with stimulants with a label that says 'caution for athletes'," said Chen Jisheng, chairwoman of Beijing Pharmaceutical Co.

The company is charged with testing and transporting medicinal drugs for the Olympics which begin on Friday.

The International Olympic Committee will conduct 4,500 doping tests at the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics, up some 25 percent on the Athens Games four years ago.

Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan was disqualified after winning a gold medal in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 because she tested positive for a banned substance that she said was contained in a cold medicine she had taken.

Chinese media has reported that some medicines have been removed from stores in Beijing to avoid misuse but Cong Luoluo, deputy director general of the Beijing Drug Administration, called such reports "rumors".

(Editing by Jon Bramley)

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