Chinese swimming has kept a clean record in 2004 with no positive case from 794 doping tests, the Chinese Swimming Association (CSA) announced on Thursday.

According to Li Hua, vice-president of the CSA, 352 Chinese swimmers from 25 teams took the tests, including 724 tests done by the CSA and the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) while 70 by FINA, the sport's world governing body, and WADA.

Since the late 1990s, China has launched a vigorous anti-doping campaign with more intensive drug testing and harsher penalties for any doping cheats.

The decision maker CSA has put doping offenders life-time bans as the penalty.

Li said:"The statistics tell us, we are on the right track to boost swimming in China. We hope we can make breakthrough in the 2008 Olympic Games with brilliant results and clean record."

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 2004, making China one of the few countries waging war on drug cheats through law.

The Spring National Swimming Championships, which also serves as the trial for the World Swimming Championships in Montreal, Canada in July and selection for the quadrennial National Games in October, is to start here on April 15.

Olympic champion Luo Xuejuan and all the top swimmers will show up at the seven-day competition.

Source: Xinhua