RIO OLYMPICS – WADA (World’s Anti-Doping Agency) suspended Rio’s testing lab second time in three years ahead of its preparation in conducting 6,000 tests during Olympics. The Rio labs were also suspended for the world cup games of 2014.
These suspensions have caused the labs £18 million and complete refurbishments. This has become the sixth laboratory to lose their credentials against WADA post-Beijing, Bloemfontein, Lisbon, Madrid and Moscow recently.
WADA Bans Rio Doping Lab
The Rio lab known as LADETEC was rebuilt to make 6,000 tests during the Olympic Games and post close-up the blood and urine samples will be sent abroad as done during World Cup games of 2014.
FIFA chose to send samples to the WADA lab in Lausanne. This operation will cost the agency around £180,000 causing significant humiliation to the Brazilian government. While WADA says, it will work in close collaboration with Brazilian lab to resolve ongoing issues.
The closest functioning and WADA aggregated labs to Rio is in Colombia and Cuba but are not fit to carry out such high scale operations. The Brazilian government was informed of the irregularities right after Niggli and WADA president Reed’s appreciation for Rio lab’s proceedings. WADA had suspended Rio labs for six months.
Not to forget, Brazil is already fighting a major health issue concerning Zika virus along with worst recession scenario.
