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Already over 14,000 doping tests conducted to safeguard PyeongChang 2018

2018-01-19 09:10 IOC

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that more than 14,000 doping tests have been undertaken on over 6,000 athletes from 61 countries* to safeguard the upcoming Olympic Winter Games that open in PyeongChang, Republic of Korea, on 9 February 2018.

As part of the work carried out by the Pre-Games Anti-Doping Taskforce, the tests, conducted between April and December 2017 by the National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) and International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (IFs), represent a 70 per cent increase on the number of tests for winter sports athletes from exactly the same period in 2016, and reflect a collective effort to optimise the protection of clean athletes ahead of PyeongChang 2018.

Dr Richard Budgett, IOC Medical and Scientific Director, said: “Protecting clean athletes by fighting doping is a top priority for the IOC. The sporting integrity of the Games is vital, and we are committed to working with our partners to ensure that PyeongChang 2018 provides a level playing field for all clean athletes. The number, reach and specific targeting of our pre-testing programme highlights the importance of intelligent and intensive testing through a coordinated effort with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), IFs and NADOs, as well as our commitment for a cleaner future in sport.”

With extra scrutiny on Russian athletes, November and December saw testing on double the number of athletes from Russia than any other country.

Along with increased volume, the IOC has also committed to an improved intelligent testing system. This more targeted testing focuses on specific disciplines and nationalities that are at particular risk, as well as individual athletes and groups of athletes selected based on their ranking, and any suspicious change in performance or adverse testing history. Altogether, it is the most rigorous pre-testing programme in Olympic history.

The Pre-Games Taskforce has been an excellent example of NADOs, IFs, WADA, the Doping-Free Sport Unit (DFSU) and the IOC all working together in the lead-up to the Games to protect the integrity of sport. The aim of the Pre-Games Taskforce is to ensure that there is a minimum testing standard for athletes from different countries and different sports. Its work follows the Olympic Movement’s collective commitment to transparency and to protecting clean athletes, as stated at the 6th Olympic Summit on 28 October 2017.

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