For the next 16 days all eyes will be on China as the Olympic Games officially start this evening (afternoon in Malta).

The Olympic Games are the biggest sport event that is held every four years, but it goes beyond sport. Politics have always played an important part.

The older generations will remember the boycott of the Moscow Games by the United States and other countries in 1980, with the Soviet Union responding four years later when the Games were held in Los Angeles.

Luckily, those times are over. But it does not mean that the Games in China have been shorn of controversies ever since China was selected as the organiser seven years ago – the issue over Tibet, pollution and security matters have all been widely covered in the media in the run-up to the Games.

The good side is that all countries, including tiny Malta, have sent their best athletes in search of gold in what should be a spectacular show of sport. The bad side is that, apart from fears of terrorist attacks, doping scandals have mushroomed over the past weeks, and sport lovers are today wondering whether the success they could be celebrating today with their idols will turn into shame the next day when doping tests reveal cheating.

We all remember how the world stopped when Ben Johnson flew past Carl Lewis in the 100-metre dash at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, only to be stripped of the victory soon afterwards because he failed a doping test.

But you never know whether a victory achieved today will, many years later, be ruled as having been obtained illicitly. It was only last week that the US 4x400 metre relay team was stripped of the medals won at the Sydney Olympic Games eight years ago because one of the athletes forming part of the team admitted to doping.

Last year, sprinter Marion Jones was also stripped of the five medals she won in 2000 following her doping confession. These escaped the strict doping procedures in Sydney, only to be caught later. The question that arises is: Were there others?

The sport authorities are trying hard to avoid doping scandals in China, simply by trying to keep athletes who violate the rules away from the Games. At least 45 athletes from 11 countries have not been allowed to go to the Olympics in the last few weeks because of drug violations. The list includes athletes in swimming, wrestling, athletics, weightlifting, boxing, fencing and cycling. Some of them were champions in their own sport and were among the favourites to win medals.

Unexpected out-of-competition controls are deemed to be the most effective way of catching athletes who cheat, although many can still slip through the net by not taking part in such events or using undetectable substances to hide traces of doping substances. Others substitute their urine samples with those of clean athletes.

In China, a total of 4,500 tests will be carried out, up from 3,600 in Athens four years ago. The top five finishers and two randomly selected athletes in each event will be tested for the usual menu of steroids, stimulants, blood boosters and other performance-enhancers.

Sad to say, it is hard to imagine the Olympics being free of doping scandals, but the sport authorities should be supported in their endeavour to weed out the cheaters. Four years ago, there was a record 26 doping cases. Based on the increase in the number of tests in Beijing, the International Olympic Committee has predicted there could be 30 to 40 positives this time.

Sport lovers are looking forward to 16 days of events that will determine winners and losers. Yet the biggest losers are not those who participate without winning; the biggest losers are those who cheat, whether they are caught or not.