Athletes Facing Extra Blood-tests
Olympic athletes are facing an increased volume of blood-tests during the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted a recommendation that all anti-doping organisations ensure that not less than 10 per cent of samples collected are blood specimens.
?Only four percent of all doping control samples collected in 2010 were for blood, mostly for passport programmes.
??WADA said the new 10 per cent directive would have a ‘significant deterrence benefit, regardless of the particular risks associated with the anti-doping organisations’ sports’.??
Blood samples were collected from every accredited athlete at the recent World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.??
The samples are to be used to help build Athlete Biological Passports, allowing experts to register and chart physiological markers over time.??WADA also approved the list of prohibited substances and methods for the Summer Olympic year of 2012.??
One of the most significant changes was said to be the removal of asthma drug formoterol from ‘Section 3 Beta-2 Agonists’ of the list when taken by inhalation at therapeutic doses. ??
The new list will be made official and published by 1st October and will take effect at the start of 2012.
