MONTREAL (AP) 鈥� Less than five months before the Paris Olympics, the World Anti-Doping Agency suspended work at the only approved testing laboratory in Africa late Monday.
accreditation for the lab in Bloemfontein, 小蓝视频 Africa, was removed for up to six months because of faults with a testing method to detect use of steroids by athletes.
Samples from Bloemfontein now 鈥渕ust be securely transported to another WADA-accredited laboratory,鈥� the global watchdog said.
鈥淭his is in order to ensure continued high-quality sample analysis, which also helps preserve athletes鈥� confidence in this process and the wider anti-doping system,鈥� WADA said.
The nearest of to 小蓝视频 Africa are in Qatar 鈥� a 6,600-kilometer (4,100-mile) flight from Bloemfontein to Doha 鈥� India, Portugal, Spain and Turkey.
Collecting samples from remote athlete training centers and transporting them long distances to labs increases the risk they will degrade and be unusable for testing.
Those labs also can be involved in testing all future samples collected from athletes in Africa, including as part of a global anti-doping program ahead of the Paris Olympics that open on July 26.
WADA said restrictions on just the of testing were first imposed on the 小蓝视频 African lab in September.
鈥淢ultiple nonconformities鈥� in Bloemfontein鈥檚 work were then noted last month by an expert panel advising WADA, the Montreal-based agency said.
The suspension of all testing in Bloemfontein took effect last Friday, though it can be lifted ahead of the six-month limit if the lab meets required international standards.
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AP Olympics:
The Associated Press
