The programme will be overseen by the European Olympic Committees (EOC), Minsk 2019 chief executive Georgy Katulin announced.

"On 11 July Minsk hosted Dr Klaus Steinbach, the chair of the EOC Medical and Anti-Doping Commission," Katulin told a press conference, according to the Belarusian Telegraph Agency.

"The anti-doping programme will be the responsibility of the EOC. 

"Officers of the National Anti-Doping Agency will be also involved during the games, including in the capacity of chaperones [to accompany the athletes to the doping control station] in order to fully comply with all anti-doping rules."

The Games, due to take place next year between June 21 and 30, are expected to feature 4,000 athletes from 50 countries competing for 201 medals in 15 sports. 

There was two positive tests during the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2015 where German-based company Professional Worldwide Controls were responsible for the administration of the programme. 

Albanian boxer Rexhildo Zeneli tested positive for diuretic Furosemide and Cheltu Beji, the Ethiopian-born Azerbaijani winner of the women's 3,000 metres steeplechase, for banned anabolic agent osterine.

Research published the following year in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, however, revealed that 13 Baku 2015 medallists were found to have been taking meldonium, which was made illegal by the World Anti-Doping Agency a few months after the Games.

Meldonium, originally developed to treat coronary artery disease, may have been used by as many as 490 athletes in 15 of the 21 sports the survey found.

The findings were based on information volunteered by both athletes and medical teams, as well as tests given at the Games.