International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical and Scientific Commission chair Uğur Erdener will lead a delegation to the University of Brighton to review their anti-doping research.
He will be joined by Olympic rowing gold medallist Richard Budgett, the IOC’s medical and scientific director who won the coxed four title for Britain at Los Angeles 1984, on a tour of the English university’s laboratories in Eastbourne.
They are due to meet with Yannis Pitsiladis, who has developed a test which he believes will help to provide a more effective way of catching cheats.
Pitsiladis, the Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at the University, has opted against looking for traces of illegal drugs in urine and blood samples.
Instead he has been studying Ribonucleic acid (RNA), one of the essentials for all forms of life together with DNA and proteins.
He claims to have discovered that drugs can leave a signature in RNA.
“The visit by the IOC and some of our sponsors is a great opportunity for the University to showcase our excellent research and research facilities,” Pitsiladis said.
The visit is scheduled to take place on March 29, with a two-hour seminar also planned at the Hillbrow Lecture Theatre in Eastbourne.
It is hoped that athletes, sports fans and officials will watch the seminar, due to begin at 12 noon, via a live stream.
Members of the public are also free to attend the meeting, which will feature Lars Engebretsen, the IOC’s head of medical sciences.
Dr Paul Dimeo, a researcher in drug use in sport and anti-doping policy, will be one of several anti-doping experts from around the world who will also be in attendance.
The seminar will be focused on the reality of doping, while novel solutions to the problems will also be debated.
- By Michael Pavitt
- Republished with permission insidethegames.biz