"The problem of doping won't disappear overnight. Doping in sport is like criminality in society," Rogge said after revelations Tour de France winner Floyd Landis tested positive for muscle-building hormone testosterone.

"Doping is one of our responsibilities but above all one of our priorities. We are working hard to fight and eliminate it."

However, Rogge, who was attending a meeting of European Olympic committees in Rome, suggested cycling, which in recent years has been rocked by one doping scandal after another, was a pacesetter in exposing drug cheats.

Cycling was one of the few sports to introduce widespread testing of hematocrit levels that indicate abuse of blood-boosting agent erythropoietin (EPO), he said.

"As for cycling, we are looking for the solution to the problem," he said, adding, "few federations have the hematocrit test but cycling is one of them."