Anti-doping chief Dick Pound is hoping effective tests for human growth hormone (hGH) will be ready for next month's Olympics.
The World Anti-Doping Agency dropped hints last week that a test for the banned drug could be introduced for the first time in Athens.
Officials at WADA have reported that a test for hGH is close to being finalised but have so far refused to confirm whether Olympic athletes' samples will be screened for it.
WADA believe it best to keep athletes guessing over whether tests will be used at the Olympics but the organisation's chairman Pound is confident athletes using it for Athens will be caught at some stage.
Pound told BBC Sport Online: "If the test's not ready then I'd rather wait until it's proved to be fully reliable. We'll ask for the samples from the Games to be saved so that we can test them at a later date.
"If any athletes are found guilty then they will be stripped of their medals."