GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Nearly 80 scientists, lab directors and sports administrators from 19 countries discussed strategies for detecting human growth hormone abuse in sports in a three-day meeting that ended yesterday.

Human growth hormone, called hGH for short, was previously undetectable and is considered one of the most widely used banned substances in sports. The hormone is produced naturally by the body. The synthetic form works like an anabolic steroid and can help athletes build muscle mass and recover faster from training.

World Anti-Doping Agency officials have said they expect to have a test ready by the Athens Olympics this year. WADA and other anti-doping groups have been trying to validate two hGH blood tests developed by scientists in Britain and Germany.

During the symposium sponsored by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, participants discussed those tests and the threshold for determining whether the amount of hGH found is natural or a sign of cheating.

"My feeling is we came away with pretty much a consensus that the directions we're going are appropriate scientifically and can be defensible in court," USADA senior managing director Larry Bowers said.

Bowers reiterated WADA's assertion that it will not announce when or if the test is ready, preferring to keep the drug cheats guessing. But even if the test is not ready for Athens, officials will be able to retest samples later to punish cheaters retroactively, he said.

"Growth hormone is a prohibited substance. Athletes should not be taking it and if they choose to do so they are putting themselves at risk of being sanctioned," Bowers said.

Although hGH has been around for decades, standard doping controls haven't yet been able to distinguish between its natural and synthetic forms.