Alexandre de Merode

Prince Alexandre de Merode (1934 - November 19, 2002) was a member of a Belgian princely house and the head of drug testing policy for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Born in Etterbek, Belgium, de Merode was criticized for his lax policies regarding drug testing in the Olympic Games. For example, following the 1984 Summer Olympics, several test results were destroyed "accidentally" while in de Merode's hotel suite. He claimed that the Games organizers were in a hurry to wind things up and that he lost control of the results.

Following record-shattering performances by Chinese female swimmers in the 1990s and a doping scandal during the 1998 Tour de France, international sport created the World Anti-Doping Agency, effectively removing control of drug testing from the IOC and de Merode. In May of 2000 he tendered his resignation as head of the IOC medical commission, even though he was asked to stay.