WADA recommends Winter Olympics not use latest sample bottles

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The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has recommended the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang use an older version of doping sample bottles after concerns were raised about the latest model, the agency said on Wednesday.

The recommendation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) came after it was confirmed a portion of the new-generation bottles are susceptible to manual opening without evidence of tampering, whether they have been frozen or not, WADA said in a statement.

Previously it was thought a problem existed with the newer bottles only when they were frozen.

The glass containers had been touted as the next generation of sample bottles since being released last year, as part of the ongoing effort to avoid a repeat of the Russian doping scandal that dogged the 2014 Winter Olympics and still reverberates today.

File of urine samples. /VCG Photo

But WADA said the older BEREG-KIT 2016 – released for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro – should be used instead. "To that end, through its anti-doping partners, WADA has managed to source enough kits of the earlier model to cover the entire testing program in place for PyeongChang," WADA said.

"At this stage, our clear recommendation to the IOC is that it continues to use the earlier model, which is still used by a number of testing authorities around the world," WADA Director General Olivier Niggli added.

"This should be seen as a precautionary measure that guarantees the integrity of the doping control process at the Games."

Niggli said WADA had also contacted anti-doping agencies and WADA-accredited labs around the world "to make them aware of the latest situation".

The agency will continue to work with Berlinger, the Swiss manufacturer of the bottles, to gather information and explore solutions.

In the meantime, Niggli said, Berlinger had agreed to resume production of the 2016 model.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters