JACQUES ROGGE, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), expects at least 15 doping cases to come to light from the Beijing Olympics, writes Paul Kenny.

“We had 39 positive cases in the run-up to the Games, eight during the Games and seven more possibly coming up,” he said. Speaking at a gala celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of the Austrian Olympic Committee, Rogge said it would take about six weeks before the final results of the doping tests were available.

The fight against doping remains the biggest challenge to the IOC, according to Rogge. “Doping in sports is like crime in society,” he said. Last month the IOC said it would retest samples from Beijing to search for Cera, a new generation of the endurance-enhancing hormone EPO.

Six athletes were disqualified for doping during the Games - Ukrainian heptathlete Lyudmila Blonska, Ukrainian weightlifter Igor Razoronov, Greek hurdler Fani Halkia, North Korean shooter Kim Jong Su, Spanish cyclist Isabel Moreno and Vietnamese gymnast Thi Ngan Thuong Do.

The IOC conducted more than 5,000 drug tests in Beijing, including nearly 1,000 blood screenings.

Meanwhile Rebecca Adlington has been honoured by her home town following her 400m and 800m freestyle gold medal-winning performances in Beijing. After being awarded the freedom of Mansfield, she said: “It’s such a great honour to get this. It’s been the best time of my life recently.”

Adlington became the most successful British swimmer in the past 100 years, this country’s first Olympic swimming champion since 1988 and the first to win two Olympic golds since 1908. Friday’s accolade is the latest in her star-studded welcome home, following an open-top bus parade in August. Mansfield’s Sherwood Swimming Baths are also due to be renamed the Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre when they reopen after refurbishment next September.

- Britain’s Kirsty Balfour has retired from swimming at the age of 24. Balfour won a silver medal in the 2007 world championships, two golds and a silver at the 2006 European championships and silver and bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

“The time was right for me to leave the sport, and, with my wedding coming up, it was time for a change,” she said. “I have been swimming for 12 years. I competed at two Olympics and this year reached the 100m breaststroke semi-final in Beijing and gave it my all, so I can’t be disappointed.”