The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced that it has suspended the accreditation of the Beijing laboratory in China for a maximum period of four months.
Due to the suspension, the laboratory will be prohibited from carrying out WADA related anti-doping activities, including the analysis of urine and blood samples.
Samples from the facility are required to be transported securely to another WADA-accredited laboratory, while the suspension remains in place.
The laboratory is now required to take five remedial steps highlighted by the WADA’s Disciplinary Committee in its recommendation, while they must also address non-conformities identified by the External Quality Assessment Scheme (EQAS) programme.
Any further non-conformities identified during WADA site visits, during the suspension period, will also need to be rectified for the accreditation to be restored.
Should Beijing laboratory meet the requirements they will be able to apply for reinstatement prior to the end of the four month suspension period.
They are also able to appeal the suspension to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within 21 days.
WADA are responsible for accrediting anti-doping laboratories, according to the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL), which aims to ensure that they maintain the highest-quality standards.
The suspension of the accreditation comes shortly after China became the subject of a fresh doping crisis following reports in British newspaper The Times, which claimed the country was covering up the results of failed drugs tests.
An investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was launced while the International Swimming Federation (FINA) admitted some Chinese cases were currently being probed.
Swimmers Wang Lizhuo and An Jiabao were given warning penalties by the Chinese Swimming Association (CSA) after they failed drugs tests, while Zhao Ying and three other athletes all recent tested positive for banned substances.
The organisation revealed that they had suspended the accreditation of the Laboratório de Análises de Dopagem in Lisbon on April 15, with the Portuguese facility having failed to meet the ISL requirements.
The Moscow Laboratory in Russia saw its accreditation revoked on the same date, having initially been suspended on November 10, following the WADA Independent Commission reports which revealed evidence of widespread state sponsored doping in Russian athletics.
WADA’s Foundation Board members have also voted to remove the National Olympic Committee of Bolivia, who are acting as the National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO), from its list of countries earlier declared non-compliant.
They were taken off the list after resolving an outstanding issue related to the use of non-accredited laboratories.
- By Michael Pavitt
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- Republished with permission insidethegames.biz