The International Olympic Committee on Thursday offered European champion sprinter Dwain Chambers, who has tested positive for the new designer drug THG, the possibility of a reduced ban if the Briton gave information on his doping.

"We would hope that Dwain Chambers would be wise enough to come forward to give information and in reward he would get a reduction of his penalty," IOC president Jacques Rogge told a news conference in Athens, site of the 2004 Olympic Games.

"That's a plea bargain that has been offered," Rogge added.

Under the rules of world athletics' governing body, the IAAF, an athlete found guilty of doping receives a mandatory, minimum two-year ban from competition. However, the IAAF does have a rule allowing reduced sanctions for athletes offering "substantial assistance" in a doping inquiry.

This rule is only enacted in "truly exceptional circumstances", the rule states.

Earlier this month, IAAF General Secretary Istvan Gyulai said 18 athletes in the past four years had applied for reinstatement or shortened bans on grounds of "exceptional circumstances", with all but two cases rejected by the IAAF.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS

Tetrahydrogestrinone is a specially designed anabolic steroid which has been tweaked by chemists to make it undetectable under normal testing.

Rogge played down fears the size of the current drug scandal sweeping the sporting world could seriously damage international competitions.

"All indications today are that THG is of course a scandal... but that THG is limited only to athletes who were in contact with this California lab," he said. "This is not a widespread problem."

Most athletes who have been linked to THG were in touch with the San Francisco-based BALCO laboratory which is currently under investigation.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has said BALCO, a firm specialising in nutrition supplements which has many top sportsmen and women among its clients, was probably the source of THG.

Several leading track athletes and baseball players, among them triple Olympic sprint champion Marion Jones and her partner Tim Montgomery, the 100 metres world record holder, have already testified before a U.S. grand jury investigating BALCO. More will follow.

TESTED SAMPLES

Rogge said out of 300 tested samples from the recent Paris World Athletics Championships only two tested positive for the drug.

"It was the same two people caught in the U.S. trial," he said.

The discovery of the drug took officials by surprise as they became aware of it only after a high-profile coach sent a syringe of THG to USADA, who have now developed a test for the previously undetectable drug.

"Designer drugs are always going to be a local issue, never a widespread general issue," Rogge said.

Rogge said testing during the Athens Games would increase by 25 percent compared to previous Games and would include THG.

"We have increased our testing capacity to include THG, we will test much more athletes than in previous Games," Rogge said.

He added that Olympic officials had transferred samples from the 2002 Salt Lake City Games to California to check their state and could soon start re-testing them.