No positive tests have been reported among the first 161 doping tests conducted since the opening of the Turin Olympics athletes' village on January 31.

"There are no anti-doping violations to date," International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Giselle Davies said on Monday.

The 161 urine, blood and EPO tests were completed by the end of Saturday's competition. Latest figures weren't immediately available.

The IOC will only announce any doping offences once all hearings and disciplinary procedures have been completed, a process which usually takes 24 hours.

The IOC figures include the 12 cross-country skiers who were suspended for five days for elevated levels of hemoglobin, or oxygen-rich red blood cells. Those pre-competition blood screenings, carried out by the International Ski Federation, are considered "health checks" rather than doping controls.

The IOC plans to conduct a total of 1,200 tests at the Turin Games, a 72 per cent increase over the number in Salt Lake City four years ago. Testing is taking place in and out of competition, including at training sites and villages.

Davies insisted drug testers have been working by the rules, despite the unconventional methods used in some cases to exploit the element of surprise.

"Anti-doping procedures are being done fully within the rules," she said. "Notification to the athletes is being done by anti-doping control officers. They are identified and identifiable."

Davies said there is a place on athletes' doping control forms where they can make any complaints. So far, none have been made, she said.

Last week, a man and a woman posing as fans but later identifying themselves as doping-control officials extracted blood and urine samples from two-time gold-medallist skier Hermann Maier at the athletes' village in Sestriere.

On Saturday, a drug tester stood in a TV interview box and stuck a testing-submission form under American skier Steven Nyman's nose just after he crossed the finish line on a training run.

A day earlier, Austrian Nordic combined skier Mario Stecher gave blood and urine samples at the Sestriere village to a man posing as a journalist seeking an interview.

Davies said Sunday that "all necessary means" would be used to catch drug cheats.

"Athletes know that according to our anti-doping rule procedures they can be tested at any time and at any place," she said."The onus is on them to make their whereabouts known."

The head of Turin's anti-doping police said his unit was monitoring the situation at the Olympics but had received no news of any illegal activities or problems in testing.

Italy's tough anti-doping laws call for criminal sanctions against offending athletes, raising the possibility of police searches in the Olympic village.

"In theory, it would be in our power," Lt Alessio Bombara said. "But it would be an absurd thing to do because we would be damaging the smooth running of the Games."

Bombara, who heads a special health unit of the Carabinieri paramilitary police, warned that magistrates could order his officers to act if they receive tips on illegal drug activity or if the IOC announces positive tests.

"The IOC is obligated to communicate the results to our judiciary," Bombara told The Associated Press. "For now, there has been no communication, and we have full confidence in their ability to conduct testing."

Bombara said that even if an athlete tests positive, magistrates may decide to delay an investigation until all sports appeals have been exhausted.

"We are not so interested in the athletes and why they take the drugs. We leave that to sports justice," Bombara said. "We are interested in the obscure figures who supply athletes with drugs and who in turn have strong connections to criminal organizations."

(China Daily February 15, 2006)