It was Victor Conte, the most infamous drugs peddler in sport, who claimed that the Olympic Games were a sham and that beating the testers was like taking candy from a baby. Now the IOC has moved to counter allegations of inaction by ordering the retesting of up to 1,000 blood samples taken in Beijing, at a six-figure cost.

The IOC is taking advantage of a state-of-the-art test, developed at the Châtenay-Malabry laboratory in France. The test for the newest form of erythropoietin (EPO), known as Cera (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator), has plunged cycling into a new crisis, with Stefan Schumacher, from Germany, becoming this week one of three Tour de France riders to be caught. The subsequent bad blood between the IOC and the sport’s leading officials led Thomas Bach, an IOC vice-president, to question road cycling’s Olympic status.

Last night it emerged that the Swiss company that created Cera and marketed it as an aid to those suffering from kidney disease and anaemia had been working with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) for four years. “We provided data and then sent samples, so they could work and develop the test,” Claudia Schmitt, of Roche Holding AG, said.

Now the IOC is transporting up to 1,000 blood samples from its deep-freeze in Beijing to the Wadaaccredited laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland. A decision has yet to be taken on how many samples will be tested, but it applies only to blood and not the 3,801 urine samples taken in China. Emmanuelle Moreau, an IOC official, said that endurance events would be targeted. “We keep samples for eight years, so the message to the cheats is, even if you think you have got away with it, we will use new tests and take action,” she said.

Andy Parkinson, the acting director of Drug-Free Sport, UK Sport’s anti-doping arm, said: “Gone are the days when an athlete wins, tests positive and disappears with the medal. I think this shows science is catching up and I’d be very wary if I was a cheat.”

Chris Hoy, who won three cycling gold medals for Great Britain in Beijing, believes that the IOC’s move will act as a deterrent to potential drug cheats. “Hopefully this sort of strong action will make people think twice about trying to cheat in the future,” the Scot said. “It is great that significant steps are being taken to try and stop cheating. It is very encouraging.”

The IAAF, the world governing body of athletics, also keeps samples for eight years and has stated that it will retest them using new methods when they become available.

Six competitors were disqualified for doping during the Beijing Games, with three further cases pending, and a 16-month operation led to the suspension of seven Russian athletes, including Yelena Soboleva, the world indoor 1,500 metres champion, on the eve of the Games. John Fahey, the president of Wada, said: “We believe that retrospective testing will serve as a strong deterrent.”

Cera remains in the system three times longer than EPO, making it easier to detect, and the positive tests of Schumacher, the winner of both time-trials on this year’s Tour, and Leonardo Piepoli and Riccardo Ricco, the Italian riders, suggest that Cera’s days as a blood-booster are numbered.

Cycling’s fate is also in the balance. Pierre Bordry, the president of the French Anti-Doping Agency, confirmed that 30 Tour riders are under scrutiny but said that another new test, designed to catch those giving themselves transfusions of their own blood, was on the way. “It is in the process of being put in place,” Bordry said. “It is within our capabilities, but it does not exist yet with precision.”

Despite the backslapping that greeted the latest results, doping is still a significant issue, with each sting proving that the cheats are active. However, having been accused of pulling punches in the fight against drugs, the IOC seems determined to take a lead and has also filed a lawsuit against the coach of Fani Halkia, the 400 metres hurdles gold medal-winner from 2004, asking for him to be prosecuted in Greece.

Halkia failed a drugs test in August but claimed this week that she was “sabotaged”, while George Panagiotopoulos denied supplying her with steroids.