Drug analysis at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary

Abstract

A comprehensive drug testing program was carried out during the 16 days of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, Canada. State-of-the-art technology was applied, involving high-resolution gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, fluorescence polarization immunoassay, and radioimmunoassay. Samples from selected athletes were screened for five drug classes: stimulants, narcotic analgesics, anabolic steroids, β-blockers, and diuretics. In addition, samples were also screened for local anesthetics, corticosteroids, β-human choriogonadotropin, and cannabinoids. During the 16-day event, 428 urine samples were processed and 3090 screening procedures performed. We describe the methods for analysis at the Olympic Games and present the results.