The International Olympic Committee’s medical chief accused...

The International Olympic Committee’s medical chief accused rogue laboratories of helping athletes escape the dope-testing net by supervising drug programs and warning athletes off competitions if traces of banned substances are likely to show up in tests.

Prince Alexandre de Merode, Belgian chairman of the IOC medical commission, has circulated a code of ethics to the IOC’s accredited laboratories, but says this does nothing to prevent others from flouting the system.

“It is no good having rules if they are not adhered to,” Merode said.