Brazil’s doping control laboratory in Rio de Janiero will be available for use at the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) lifted its suspension today.
The laboratory, based at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), lost its accreditation following “repeated failures” in meeting WADA standards in 2013.
That left the real possibility that there would not be a suitable doping lab at next year’s Olympics and Paralympics before it was decided that it would be moved to a brand new venue, which costs around R$134 million (£28.2 million/$45 million/€39 million).
The decision was taken following a WADA Foundation Board meeting in Montreal, with the decision being approved by the organization’s Executive Committee.
Staff have been working during a probation period, which began in August of last year, to ensure the center was re-accredited and the news represents a major boost for the Organizing Committee with 450 days to go until the event in Brazil begins.
“The recovery of accreditation is the result of considerable effort by the federal government and is part of the preparation of our country for the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Brazilian Sports Minister George Hilton said following the announcement.
“The anti-doping system will be a major legacy, but there are still some additional steps to maintain the level of excellence in fair play in sport.
“These are issues that WADA introduced us as essential and we will work in that direction.”
Rio 2016 had harbored hopes that WADA would rule in their favor and the decision means doping samples taken at the Games will now be able to be analyzed and tested in Brazil rather than further afield.
Such were the problems that anti-doping at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil last summer was carried out almost 6,000 miles away in Lausanne, something that would be simply impossible for an event on the scale of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The decision to build a new facility was taken when Rio was awarded the rights to host the 2016 Games and has come at a substantial cost, as over R$54 million (£11.73 million/$17.8 million/€15.7 million) has reportedly been invested in new equipment and materials.
It is also hoped that the new laboratory will provide one of the main legacies of the Games, with Ricardo Leyser, executive secretary of the Ministry of Sport claiming "it will guarantee that athletes who train hard will face their rivals in equal conditions, and this is the principal of fair competition”.
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