65 sports federations and 73 national governments have agreed to a GLOBAL plan that establishes regulations, procedures and sanctions that apply to all international sporting events.

Highlights include:

Clear rules and procedures:

- Standardized rules against doping
- Standards for testing and appeals procedures
- Random, out-of-competition drug testing
- All-encompassing list of banned substances

Clear accountability:
- Athletes are responsible for any banned substance in their body regardless of how it got there.
- Any sport or group failing to follow the rules could be excluded from the Olympics.
- Any country refusing to comply could be barred from hosting the Olympic games.

Hard-hitting penalties:

- Mandated two-year suspensions for a first serious violation and life ban for a second
- Athletes failing drug tests at the Olympics or other competitions will automatically be disqualified and lose any medals.


"Before February 1999, that was the Middle Ages," Rogge said. "Between then and now was the Renaissance. Now we are beginning the modern times."

Then I guess I would characterize the racing industry as being in the "Cro-Magnon age"...

http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/news?slug=ap-drugcode&prov=ap&type=lgns

Chris