Dope Testing Laboratory suspended for 6 months

Correspondent

NEW DELHI, July 22 2020 (HS): The National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) has been suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for a second period of upto six months for not conforming to international standards.

The New Delhi-based laboratory had previously been suspended in August following a WADA site visit prohibiting it from carrying out anti-doping activities, including all analyses of urine and blood samples.

WADA said in a statement, "In February 2020, when the six-month suspension period elapsed ... some outstanding non-conformities had not been addressed successfully," WADA’s Laboratory Expert Group “recommended the initiation of further disciplinary proceedings against the laboratory based on the outstanding non-conformities”.

It stated that the disciplinary proceedings were carried out by an independent committee that recommended an additional six-month suspension which began on July 17.According to the World Anti-Doping Code, the laboratory has the option to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the WADA decision.

If the laboratory satisfies WADA’s Laboratory Expert Group that it has addressed the issues it may apply for reinstatement early but a failure to do so could lead to another similar suspension, WADA added.