Stung by accusations that positive drug tests...

Stung by accusations that positive drug tests of U.S. athletes were kept secret, the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee said an independent watchdog would review sports drug-testing programs.

“We need to create a vehicle in which the public at large will have faith in this third party,” said Norm Blake, chief executive officer of the USOC.

Blake and Mike Moran, the USOC spokesman, denied any wrongdoing by the U.S. committee. “There’s no member of the U.S. Olympic team in Sydney with a pending A-positive [drug test] in any sport,” Moran said. The “A” sample is the first part of a drug test, and a positive result there must be matched by one in a second, or “B” sample, before an athlete faces sanctions.