|
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on
Sunday the new generation bottles, introduced after the 2014
Sochi Olympics doping scandal, were being looked at after the
accredited laboratory in Cologne said it had discovered they
might potentially be susceptible to manual opening “upon
freezing”.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday it was
very concerned about the issue but Tygart told Reuters that
USADA did not believe there were any changes that were
absolutely necessary.
"I think the simple solution for the Games is that they just
don't freeze any of the samples until the full analysis is
completed," Tygart said in a telephone interview.
"Based on what we understand that will cure this problem."
The bottles are used to collect and store urine and/or blood
samples when an athlete undergoes a doping control test.
"What we have been able to verify is it is a very rare
occurrence in the bottle caps, and it happens to some bottles
but not all," Tygart said.
"When those bottles are frozen for a period of time at less than
-5 degrees Fahrenheit, the caps can come loose.
"If the bottle has been frozen, and the cap is one of the rare
ones that becomes unsealed, that may have created a technicality
for a doped athlete to walk," Tygart said.
"On the one hand it is extremely frustrating," he said of the
bottles' problems, "but on the other, it is a good thing. When
potential holes in the global anti-doping system are exposed so
that they can be fixed."
The manufacturer, Berlinger Special AG, has told WADA it was
unable to replicate the issue when the security bottles were
handled per the product’s instruction, WADA said.
The Winter Olympics begin on Feb. 5 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
