Anti-doping laboratory in Bloemfontein gets shut down — again

A syringe
A syringe
Image: 123RF

The South African Doping Control Laboratory in Bloemfontein has been suspended for six months, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Monday night.

The laboratory was suspended in May 2016, but eventually won back its status.

The ban comes as the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) tries to regain its compliance status at WADA by updating anti-doping legislation. 

WADA said in the statement it had imposed an analytical testing restriction (ATR) on the laboratory in September last year “as it related specifically to the gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry analytical method”.

“In February 2024 WADA received a recommendation from the laboratory expert advisory group to suspend the WADA accreditation of the laboratory due to multiple non-conformities with the International Standard for Laboratories including non-conformities with technical documents and the continued ATR, among other issues.”

The suspension took effect on March and prohibits the laboratory from carrying out any anti-doping activities, including urine and blood sample analyses.

The only exception is analysis related to the athlete biological passport haematological module.

“During the period of suspension, samples that have not yet been analysed by the laboratory, 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.”

The laboratory must address all nonconformity issues and if it can satisfy the advisory group it may apply for reinstatement before the end of the six-month suspension.

Failure to fix the issues would result in another six-month suspension.


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