International sports federations who fail to get tough on drug abuse should be punished financially, leading Olympic official Thomas Bach said yesterday.

The International Olympic Committee executive member said governing bodies who fail to agree to meet demands for out-of-competition tests in meetings later this year should lose money from the IOC.

The IOC, which hands out revenue from the Olympics to international federations, is trying to introduce a new medical code to ensure that all sports have the same penalties for drug offenders as well as efficient testing programmes.

"I believe money should be held back if federations fail to agree (to the code) by a certain time," the former Olympic fencer said. "The federations have to have their independence. But if they don't finally agree, the screw should be turned.

"There are federations who do a lot and some who do very little. I am not sure you can hold a cheque under their nose and say sign the medical code or else. And you have to have respect. But maybe this is the last chance for good will."

Bach's hard line certainly contrasts with the diplomatic approach which the IOC has been trying to adopt in public in recent months ahead of a key meeting between the IOC and the summer sports federations in Sydney at the end of April.

The winter sports federations are due to meet the IOC in the next week before the start of the Nagano Olympics. They also holding another meeting in Switzerland at the end of the year.