WADA chief hints at hair testing for presence of drugs

Athletes may soon have their hair tested to see if they are drug cheats, the new World Anti-Doping Agency president has warned.

Britain’s Craig Reedie, who takes over the position at WADA today, says a new €7.2m fund set up by the International Olympic Committee should open up new testing techniques to catch cheats.

Until now, tests have relied on blood and urine samples but traces of some drugs last much longer in hair, and that is likely to be part of WADA’s new thrust.