Rio’s only doping control centre suspended six weeks out from the Olympics
The World Anti-Doping Agency suspended the Brazilian Doping Control Laboratory just six weeks out from the Rio Olympics.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced today that it has suspended the drug testing laboratory in Rio. This happens less than two months before the Summer Olympics begin.
The suspension took affect on June 22 when the Montreal-based organization notified the lab that they are prohibited from carrying out “all anti-doping analyses on urine and blood samples.” It is being suspended because of technical errors that have been made at the facility. The specifics were not reported.
The Brazilian Doping Control Laboratory has 21 days to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport– the international judicial body for settling sport-related disputes.
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On-site samples at the lab will be transported to a WADA-accredited facility for testing. The ban will last six months if an appeal is unsuccessful.
“In the meantime, WADA will work closely with the Rio Laboratory to resolve the identified issue,” said incoming director general Olivier Niggli. “The agency will ensure that, for the time being, samples that would have been intended for the Laboratory, will be transported securely, promptly and with a demonstrable chain of custody to another WADA-accredited laboratory worldwide.”
The Rio laboratory is the only of its kind in the area to administer drug tests. It was expected to be the testing control centre for the Olympics, which begin on Aug. 5. According to The New York Times, the facility was suspended in 2013, one year before the FIFA World Cup was held in Brazil and was only reinstated last year.
In an effort to gain back credibility, more than US$60 million was invested to upgrade the facility. Urine and blood samples were flown to Switzerland in 2014 when the World Cup was held in Brazil.
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Rio, the first South American city to host the Olympics, seems to consistently make the news for the wrong reasons as Brazil’s capital is in the midst of dealing with Zika virus, corruption and delayed construction in regards to infrastructure.
The International Olympic Committee would bear the costs for doping control and sample shipment if the facility in Rio is not reopened before the Olympics begin in six weeks.
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