IOC
says Rio anti-doping program a success despite problems
Send a link to a friend
[October 28, 2016]
By Karolos Grohmann
BERLIN (Reuters) - The Rio Olympics
anti-doping program was successful despite a lack of trained staff
and resources, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday
following a World Anti Doping Agency report noting "serious
failings" in the process.
Doping was at top of the agenda well before the first South American
Olympics in August after dozens of Russian athletes were banned
following revelations of a state-supported doping system in the
country.
The IOC said the overall program had been successful, despite the
lack of trained staff and inadequate testing outlined in the WADA
international observers (IO) report.
"The anti-doping program in Rio de Janeiro had to overcome some
challenges too, such as a lack of resources and trained
volunteers/staff," the IOC said in a statement.
"This was managed successfully thanks to the dedication and
expertise of Rio 2016 and international staff and volunteers."
The 55-page WADA report by its IO team had said on Thursday several
athletes earmarked for testing "simply could not be found" while
there was "little or no in-competition blood testing in many
high-risk sports" at the Games.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Oct/28/images/ads/current/farmers_bank_sda_prom_050614.png)
Many of the problems stemmed from staffing issues, resource
constraints and other logistical difficulties, and there was also
'an apparent breakdown in the transfer of knowledge from previous
Games'," WADA said.
"Ultimately, many athletes targeted for testing in the Athletes
Village simply could not be found and the mission had to be
aborted," the IOs said. "On some days, up to 50 percent of planned
target tests were aborted."
The IOC said the program had nevertheless delivered.
"The IO report shows that it was a successful Olympic Games with
a successful anti-doping program," the IOC's medical chief Richard
Budgett said.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/102816pics/sports55.jpg)
President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach walks
past Yoshiro Mori (L), head of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics organising
committee as he delivers his keynote address at World Forum on Sport
and Culture in Tokyo, Japan, October 20, 2016. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Mar/14/images/ads/current/tires250x300.gif)
"The integrity of the program was ensured despite some challenges
the organizing committee had to overcome. I would like to thank all
the involved experts, staff and volunteers."
The Rio Games were hit by Brazil's biggest economic crisis in more
than 80 years with organizers running out of cash and having to cut
back on every level of the organizations.
The country's doping lab was also stripped of its credentials just
two months ahead of the Games before being re-approved shortly
before the opening ceremony.
During the Games IOs had privately expressed concerns that a lack of
resources and inadequate training of support staff and chaperones,
employed to notify athletes of drug tests, were compromising drugs
testing in some areas.
A summit of national doping agencies on Thursday called for all
anti-doping functions to be freed from the influence of sporting
bodies and organizers of events so the confidence of athletes in the
system could be restored.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Oct/28/images/ads/current/hartsburggrain_daily_sda_021115.png) |