11.   Spurred by a series of doping scandals that enveloped the Tour de France cycling race last summer, the congress is the largest held so far.

12.   The doping scandal comes at a particularly sensitive time for South Africa, which is emerging from international isolation.

13.   This year has produced an unprecedented spate of doping scandals.

14.   Two years ago, the drug was at the heart of the doping scandal that rocked the Tour de France bicycle race.

15.   Pantani and Frenchman Richard Virenque, riding for Polti, are both known for their climbing skills and are embroiled in the legal aftermath of doping scandals.

16.   Pietro Calabrese, editor of sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport, which organizes the Giro, said suggestions to stop the race following the doping scandal were silly provocations.

17.   A doping scandal has shaken the world of soccer since then.

18.   A French court decided on Tuesday to free the jailed doctor of the Festina cycling team which became the center of a doping scandal during the Tour de France.

19.   A French court on Tuesday freed the jailed doctor of the Festina cycling team, which became the center of a doping scandal during the Tour de France.

20.   A government report that followed the biggest doping scandal in Finnish history found that cross-country skiers had used performance-enhancing drugs for at least two years.