Top anglers drug tested at fishing competition

Competitors at last week's World Angling Championships were told to give urine samples or face losing their prizes.

Astonishingly, the tests - which they all passed - were made because officials fear stimulants could give cheats an unfair advantage by sharpening their reflexes when they get a bite.

The regime is part of a move to bring angling up to Olympic standards ahead of a bid to make it an official sport.

But it caught anglers by surprise. Briton Sean Ashby, who came third in the individual competition and was part of the England team which won the overall event, said: "At first I thought it was a wind-up. There are one or two jokers in the pack and I was convinced someone was having a laugh. My first thought was, 'What drug could possibly help anyone catch more fish?'"