The coming Guangzhou Asian Games will see the largest-ever number of drug tests at the event, a top anti-doping official said.

"We will have about 1,500 urine samples and 200 blood samples during the Asian Games," said Zhao Jian, deputy director general of the China Anti-doping Agency (CHINADA), who is in charge of doping control for the Asiad.

"The number is a record for the Asian Games and we will start work on Nov 6," he said.

The 16th Asian Games will take place from Nov 12-27 in Guangzhou. The event will attract about 11,700 athletes from 45 countries and regions who will compete for 476 gold medals.

During the Doha Asian Games four years ago, about 1,200 samples were tested and blood testing was introduced for the first time.

All the samples for the Asian Games will be sent to CHINADA's laboratory in Beijing, which carried out the doping tests for the 2008 Olympic Games.

CHINADA, which has a world-class testing laboratory, was founded in November 2007 in Beijing and received national accreditation in June 2008. It has also passed the accreditation test of World Anti-doping Agency.

The samples will be flown to Beijing each day. Like during the Beijing Games, negative results will be reported within 24 hours of its arrival at the lab while positive results will be reported within 48 hours.

"During the Guangzhou Asian Games, there will be about 100 staff working for the doping control and about 30 staff in the lab," Zhao said. "The doping control and tests will be conducted along Olympic standards as we upgraded two thirds of our facilities before the Beijing Games.

"Three foreign experts will also work in the laboratory and the management system for all the samples and results will be in accordance with the rules. Athletes from all the countries and regions can be at ease that the process will be conducted fairly."