Analytical chemistry at the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad in Los Angeles, 1984.

The equipment, methods, logistics, and results of doping-control analyses for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games are discussed in this article. Within 15 days, 1510 different urine specimens underwent 9440 screening analyses by a combination of gas chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, "high-performance" liquid chromatography, and radioimmunoassay. These tests covered more than 200 different drugs and metabolites, including psychomotor stimulants, sympathomimetic amines, central nervous system stimulants, narcotic analgesics, and anabolic steroids. The results are summarized by class of drug. Less than 2% of the samples were found to contain a banned drug.