Herbal Remedies Won't Compete at Beijing Games

Chinese herbal medicines bear no resemblance to banned substances, say Beijing Olympics officials, but just in case, athletes won’t use them. "We know there is no relationship with doping and Chinese traditional medicine,” says one doctor, but because the remedies have not been used in previous Games, they will not be used in Beijing.

In the run-up to the 2008 Games, China has led the anti-doping charge in the fallout from recent scandals. "If any cases pop up during the Games, it will be a disaster," the doctor told the AP. Record-breaking Chinese runners in the 1990s said they were taking traditional medicines but were found to be using illegal Western drugs. (More 2008 Beijing Olympics stories.)