Cost blow after drug lab suspension

With Africa’s only World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada)-accredited laboratory (the Bloemfontein-based SA Doping Control Laboratory) suspended, countries now have to send samples for analysis beyond the borders of the continent, bearing extra financial costs and burdens. A Cape Argus report says the Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts, & Culture was briefed by the SA Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS) and the SA Doping Control Laboratory (SADoCoL), at the National Assembly on Friday. Wada suspended the accreditation of SADoCoL for a period of up to six months as at 1 March. This suspension is still in place. SADoCoL’s Hanno du Preez said the laboratory has been in existence since 1983, and is one of 30 Wada-accredited laboratories in the world and the only one accredited on the African continent. ‘As an income-generating entity, the laboratory’s financial stability has been severely impacted by the suspension currently with the University of the Free State actually shouldering the financial burden on behalf of the laboratory.’ The laboratory does not receive any government funding. ‘Currently the laboratory is suspended by the world anti-doping agency due to a number of issues raised during the site visit of October 2022 and one of the major findings was the lack of a second certifying scientist in the laboratory to conduct the specified isotope ratio mass spectrometry analysis. This is a very critical confirmatory analysis needed to prove the origin of certain steroids either to be exogenous or endogenous of nature and together with this and the other analytical protocols are being addressed to enhance output and the performance of SADoCoL.’