Princess Anne rules out drug-free Olympics

LONDON - British Olympic Association president Princess Anne said yesterday that the battle against drug cheats would never be won.

"You will never defeat it entirely. It is a problem that will always be there; there is always a possibility that people will find things that they think are going to improve their performance, even if they don't actually," Princess Anne said in an interview with ITN from Sydney.

She said more research was needed into naturally-occurring chemicals such as nandrolone following a spate of high-profile failed drug tests in Britain.

"The problem with naturally-produced substances is at what stage do you decide that somebody has tried to boost them as opposed to actually producing them naturally?" she said.

"That requires a better measurement, a more consistent measurement. It obviously needs some work done on it."