The International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday set up a special task force to combat the illegal use of drugs in sport. Following a meeting at its headquarters in Lausanne, the IOC announced that it was to set up four committees to deal with different aspects of the problem. The four new committees established yesterday have until February next year to come up with a solution which will then be presented to a special two-day international world conference on sports doping.

The areas to be covered are: (a) protection of athletes; (b) the political and legal position, the definition of doping and government co-operation; (c) ethics and prevention and (d) the financial stakes and the relationship between doping and money. President of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) Pat Hickey welcomed the initiative. "I would be totally against performance enhancing drugs being legalised. I don't believe that drugs won't affect the health of athletes."

The Olympic Council of Ireland yesterday released details of the symposium `Sports against drugs' to be staged at the Raddisson Hotel, Dublin in November. It will to include talks on testing, pharmacology, IOC rules and lectures from eminent experts.