Blood tests are unlikely to be used to trace illegal drug use at the Sydney 2000 Olympics although many feel it is a more accurate means of detection.

That was the message from International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Kevan Gosper who said yesterday that it had yet to be proved that blood-testing added to the accuracy of urine testing.

"That's why there's a reluctance to introduce it," he said "but if that position changes we'll be the first to fall in line. The IOC has and will continue to take the lead against drugs but I personally don't think blood-testing will take place in Sydney," Gosper added.

A budget had been set aside if "at the last minute blood-testing is deemed feasible".

There has been intense lobbying, particularly by leading swimmers and coaches from Australia, the United States and Canada, for a switch from urine to blood testing.

Blood testing is used in a handful of sports, including cycling and cross country skiing, to test for erythropoietin, which improves stamina by increasing oxygen-carrying red blood cells, and cannot be detected by urine testing.

Human growth hormone is the other illegal substance, believed to be widely abused, which cannot be detected by the current urine test.