Fight against Doping: New Labs in UAE, India

Naman Keita at the World Championships where his drug test was declared abnormal. (Getty Images)French Hurdler Tests Abnormal

Naman Keita, Olympic bronze medalist from France, had abnormal results on an anti-drug test during the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in Osaka last week.

Keita was asked to give documents explaining the results. A statement from the French athletics federation confirms that “he had been advised to take a dietary supplement to help him regenerate muscle, which he then bought on the Internet."

A total of 1,060 doping tests - 510 blood tests and 550 urine tests - were conducted on 926 athletes. Keita’s was the only case announced during the championships.

If the analysis of the B-sample confirms the positive result, he risks a two-year ban.

UAE Announces Plans for New Lab

A new testing facility for performance enhancing drugs in the United Arab Emirates is being planned.

Ebrahim Abdul Malik, secretary-general of the UAE National Olympic Committee made the announcement Monday at a press conference.

“Plans are underway to establish an accredited anti-doping laboratory in Dubai to serve the region and the Middle East in collaboration with our brothers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states” Malik said.

“I understand that it’s not going to be an easy job to have an accredited anti-doping laboratory with due respect to the high costs involved, but we have opted to go for it”, he added.

Malik also said that the UAE will attend the World Anti Doping Agency’s World Conference on Doping in Sport, taking place in Madrid from November 15 – 17.

Also unveiled at the press conference was a plan to test every athlete and referee in the UAE for performance enhancing drugs.

“Our immediate concern is to have an updated database about all sportsmen and women from childhood to retirement” Malik said.

“This will include a pre season medical assessment about the anthropometry and body fat, periodical physical examination, medical encounter and injury form, treatment and follow-up”.

Indian Sports Minister to Crack Down on Doping

Indian Minster for Sport Mani Shankar Aiyar said India is lagging in its efforts to catch drug cheats.

“Every time an athlete is caught for doping we are ashamed. So we have to be in the forefront of combating this menacing evil” Aiyar said at the ground breaking for a new drug testing facility in New Delhi.

Lab managersplan for thefacilityto be accredited by WADA and should be given that status early next year.

Azeri NOC VP Says Money Allows Athletes to Dope

Speaking to the Azeri Press Agency, vice president of the Azerbaijan National Olympic Committee, Chingiz Huseynzade had strong words about doping.

When asked about the increase of doping in Azerbaijan, Huseynzade said he told WADA “they will not find doping” in Azerbaijan due to costs.

“Our state bodies, National Olympic Committee or our sportsmen have no means to spend on dope. We have mainly observed dope in the US, Russia, Chinese, France and English teams … They are rich enough to spend money,” he said.

Huseynzade added that the AZENOC and the sports ministry were engaged in the fight against doping, not in promoting doping.

The reason Azeri athletes were caught using performance enhancing drugs is because doctors incorrectly prescribe medicines, due to the lack of specialists in Azerbaijan, Huseynzade claims.

Huseynzade said that the blame for doping ultimately falls on the athletes and that sports officials are limited in the actions they can take against athletes using banned substances.

“We can do nothing, but believe the sportsman” Huseynzade said.

“But the problem is that no one will admit his guilt. Anyway, cases connected with dopes [sic] in Azerbaijan are fewer compared with other countries”.

When asked about IOC President Jacques Rogge’s proposal to ban athletes from the Olympics, even if their punishment expires before the Games, Huseynzade said he had not heard of the announcement.

“No one has the right to ban a sportsman, whose dope punishment expires, from the competition,” he says.

Azerbaijan’s top weightlifter Nizami Pashayev has a two year suspension from competition due to a doping violation that expires May 2008.

No new evidence showing Alejandro Valverde doped was brought forward and his case was dropped. (Getty)

Spanish Cycling Backs Valverde

The Spanish Cycling Federation has ignored requests from the International Cycling Union to investigate Alejandro Valverde’s involvement with Operation Puerto.

After meeting on Thursday Spanish cycling officials said they decided to drop the investigation because no new evidence had been introduced in a year.

Valverde would not have been able to compete in the upcoming world championships if the investigation had been launched.

Ullrich Takes Legal Action

German Cyclist Jan Ullrich is threatening the author who claimed he took EPO. Jef d’Hont published a book in May claiming that while serving as a team doctor, he injected the 1997 Tour de France winner with EPO.

Ullrich retired earlier this year after being fired from his team because he was linked to the Operation Puerto investigation.

VueltaPlans forAvoiding Tour Scandals

After a scandal plagued Tour de France, organizers of the Vuelta de Espana are introducing strict anti doping measures.

Included in the efforts are 80 more tests than usually administered bringing the total number of tests up to 350. Organizers will also be performing out of competition tests at all times of the day. Team Astana had their invitation to race revoked after two riders were found to have tested positive for banned substances.

Vuelta director Victor Cordero told Reuters last week “we want a spectacular event but not for the wrong reasons. The fans need a Tour of Spain without problems and so does cycling”.

Canadian Wheelchair Basketball Player Banned

Donald Turner, Canadian wheelchair basketball player, has been suspended for two years after testing positive for cocaine.

Turner failed an anti-drug test at the national championships in Winnipeg in May. He waived his right to a hearing, accepting the sanction proposed by the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport. He also is permanently ineligible for federal sport funding.

Shawn Watson, Canadian wheelchair basketball player, also was suspended for two years at the same event just two weeks ago.

Drug Tests Now Reality in Samoa

Anti-drug testing, which in Samoa began in 2003, is still a new phenomenon to Samoan athletes, according to Dr. Eti Enosa, chairman of Samoa Anti-Drug Agency.

Since anti-drug tests are very expensive for the area, only about 100 athletes will be tested at the South Pacific Games. Testing costs “five hundred Australian dollars per test and the samples have to be flown to an approved laboratory overseas,” says Enosa.

Athletes, who participate in sports like bodybuilding, weightlifting, and boxing, as well as many medal winners, will be under the radar more so than others.

Enosa says that although limited, testing will be more rigorous than at any past games.

Complied by Ed Hula III.

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