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A more long-ranging test for blood doping could be validated and put into use in time for the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo next year. According to the Guardian, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach announced the news at the World Conference on Doping in Sport in Katowice, Poland on Tuesday.

The current tests to detect traces of blood-boosting Erythropoietin (EPO) drugs can detect the drug only for a few hours after injection. Because EPO is also made naturally by the human body, tests rely on changes made to the drug in the body after injection.

A number of sports have gone further to institute the biological passport - a way to measure changes in blood values over time to flag suspected use of EPO or blood transfusions.

But the new test looks at a "molecular signature" of what happens at the genetic level that lasts up to several months after blood doping.

"With research on genetic sequencing progressing well, this new approach could be a groundbreaking method to detect blood doping, weeks or even months after it took place," Bach told the conference.

"If approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency, such gene testing could be used at the Tokyo Olympics. These new methods will again strengthen deterrence. We want the cheats to never feel safe, anytime or anywhere," added IOC president.