World Anti-Doping Agency suspends NADA for six months ahead of Tokyo Olympics
In a massive blow to India’s Olympics preparation, the World Anti-Doping Agency has suspended the accreditation of India’s National Dope Testing Laboratory for six months. The agency could appeal to the CAS but could also see their ban extend if they fail to address the non-conformities highlighted.
WADA has revealed that this step was taken after analysis methods of NDTL were found not up to the mark, in comparison to the international standard for laboratories. Now, NADA would have to take blood samples and send them to WADA-accredited laboratory outside India.
“This suspension has been imposed due to non-conformities with the International Standard for Laboratories as identified during a Wada site visit,” Wada stated in a media release, reported PTI.
With the Olympics less than a year away, the Indian Olympic Association has already stated that they could no longer bear the additional expense of sending the samples abroad, which would most likely be in Bangkok, Thailand. This would also be a huge blow on the anti-doping programme India started recently.
“It is a huge blow to Olympic Movement in India with the Olympics just 11 months away. Indian National Sports Federations are in no position to bear extra cost,” IOA President Narinder Batra said.
While the suspension has come to effect from August 20, the NDTL could appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne within the next 21 days. Meanwhile, the NDTL has been asked to safely move all the samples lying to an accredited lab.
“The suspension, which took effect on 20 August 2019, prohibits the NDTL from carrying out any anti-doping activities, including all analyses of urine and blood samples. During the period of suspension, samples that have not yet been analysed by the NDTL; samples currently undergoing a confirmation procedure; and any samples for which an Adverse Analytical Finding has been reported, must be securely transported to another Wada-accredited laboratory,” WADA further stated.
NADA had claimed last year that it had tested 4348 samples including 466 blood samples. And now, with Olympics coming on, they were expected to carry out almost 5000 tests in the run-up. However, without the respective National Sports Federations now helping, they would reduce.
“Nada will have to bear the cost. This will be a big burden considering the number of tests Nada conducts,” said Parth Goswami, a Sports Lawyer specialising in anti-doping.
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