It's impossible to know how many athletes are cheating:
It is feared that of the 258,000 tests conducted annually, as few as 2% include the blood tests that can detect the use of Human Growth Hormone. In 2010 there were just 36 positives – a total Wada [World Anti-Doping Agency] regarded as "disappointing". Across sport, there are fears that one in 10 athletes is attempting to cheat but of those only one in five is being caught. "We think the annual statistics show that maybe between 1% and 2% of athletes who are tested are cheating. By conducting these research projects, the results of which will be made known later this year, we think those numbers are more into double digits," said [Wada Director David] Howman earlier this year. "That's a concern. If more than 10% of the athletes in the world are being tempted to take a shortcut via taking prohibited substances then we've got an issue that is not being confronted as well as it should be."
The plan:
All of those at the anti-doping frontline acknowledge they are in an "arms race" with those willing to cheat. Shortly before the Games, for example, a new test for Human Growth Hormone – previously very difficult to detect as it is naturally occurring – expanded the window for a positive test from a few days to a few weeks. Wada is working with pharmaceutical giants such as GSK to develop tests for new substances that have genuine medical uses but could also enhance performances. … According to those on the frontline, the focus is becoming as much on education of young athletes – trying to convince them that the risks vastly outweigh the rewards – and on intelligence-led initiatives. Working with Interpol and local law enforcement agencies, Wada hopes to target the networks behind the supply of illicit substances and the pyramid of influences behind the athletes in the hope of cutting the supply and reducing their power.
The Dish 