When was the 1st drug test done at the Olympics?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) boss Jacques Rogge has promised a drug-testing crackdown at the Beijing Games.

But the use of drugs is now a tradition, dating back to when gold medallist Thomas J. Hicks, was given strychnine and brandy by his coach when he started to flag in the marathon at the 1904 Games.

In the mid-1960s, various sports federations banned doping, and the IOC followed suit in 1967.

The first Olympic athlete to test positive for doping use was Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall, a Swedish pentathlete at the 1968 Olympics, who lost his bronze medal for alcohol use. Dozens of athletes have followed in his footsteps, several medal winners among them.

The most publicised doping-related disqualification was that of Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who won the 100m at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but tested positive.

In the late 1990s, after high profile drug scandals in cycling, the IOC launched a more organised battle against doping, leading to the formation of the World Anti-Doping Agency in 1999. Then American sprinter Marion Jones won five medals at the Sydney Games in 2000, but had to give them all back after admitting taking performance enhancing drugs.

The last Olympics in Athens saw around double the previous highest number of doping offences, which was 12 at Los Angeles in 1984. However, the reason is thought to be tougher tests rather than an increase in doping.