Anti-doping research partnership formed

COLORADO SPRINGS, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Olympic Committee, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Major League Baseball and the NFL have formed a partnership to fight the use of illegal drugs in sports.

The organization is called "The Partnership for Clean Competition."

It will support research into "new methods to more cost-effectively detect and deter the use of banned and illegal substances at every level of sport," a report on the USOC Web site said Thursday.

The four founding members have committed to contributing $10 million to "this landmark collaborative," the report said.

The NBA, NHL, PGA and others will help in the effort, it said.

"It is vital that the major sport organizations in America work together to combat a problem that, left unchecked, has the potential to destroy the value and integrity of sport," USOC Chairman Peter Ueberroth said.