Chinese swimming has done a good job in the fight against doping in recent years, said Australian national swimming coach Scott Volkers.

"I have been the national coach for 10 years. As long as I am concerned, China has been much better in doping-control now," said��Volkers, women's head coach for the 2003 Barcelona World Championships.

"In the past, some Chinese swimmers tested positive, which meant there were some sort of problems there," he said.

"Between 1994 and 1998, your athletes weren't that friendly and��outgoing. They tended to stay away from swimmers from other countries during competition."

The image of Chinese sports was tainted in the 1990s following several high-profile positive incidents, notably in the pool.

Seven of Chinese swimmers tested positive for steroids at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima. Four years later, another four swimmers failed doping tests during the world championships in Perth, Australia.

To redeem its reputation, China launched a vigorous anti-doping��campaign with more intensive drug testing and harsher penalties for any doping cheats.

One of its best women swimmers, Wu Yanyan was banned for four years after she tested positive for an anabolic steroid at a national championships before the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

The country signed on the World Anti-Doping Code in 2003. The China Doping Control Center based in Beijing has acquired the IOC accreditation for 15 straight years and is ranked as a Class A laboratory in the world.

China's own anti-doping law, the Anti-Doping Regulation took effect in March, making China one of the few countries waging war on drug cheats through law.

Positive doping rates have dropped steadily from about 1.6 percent in 1990 to less than 0.4 percent in 2003, Chinese anti-doping chief Shi Kangcheng said early this year.

For Chinese swimming, officials adopted preventive measures in addition to severe punishment.

"We are working hard to rebuild our credit in international swimming. It will be long-term efforts," said Yuan Jiawei, chief of the Chinese swimming association.

"We increase the number of tests each year and change our competition format," he said.

The Chinese swimming association required all swimmers registering the association for at least running before they are allowed to��take part in competition at national level.

"This may stop those intending to cheat from evading out tracing their results," Yuan explained.

"And we welcome colleagues from abroad to visit," he added.

China's anti-doping efforts have begun to pay off.

"China has made good efforts in fight against doping," Volkers said.

"Now I noticed that the Chinese swimmers became much more friendly and outgoing. That is a good sign," he said.

Source: Xinhua