Three years ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio de Janiero, the bid is in a bit of a tailspin.
Public support for the Games are waning, construction plans are still changing, and on Tuesday, WADA revoked accreditation for a major testing lab in the city, LAB DOP – LADETEC / IQ – UFRJ Doping Control Laboratory (LADETEC).
According to a release, the revocation enters into force September 25th, 2013, which means that they can no longer carry out any tests on behalf of WADA or any testing authority. TADETEC is currently under suspension, so it is unable to complete tests between now and then, either.
This is the second time that the lab has been questioned. In January of 2012, they were suspended after a volleyball player tested positive, but then a second test conducted at a German lab came back negative.
This lab is one that has tested several positives in Brazilian swimmers in the past two years, including those of Cesar Cielo, Nicholas Santos, Henrique Barbosa, Vinicius Waked, and Diana Becker.
At that time, the test they were specifically struggling with was called “isotope ratio mass spectrometry,” which wouldn’t have been involved in the tests of the first four on that list, but would have in the case of Becker.
This had been the only lab in Brazil accredited by WADA, which means that the country will be scrambling to find a replacement to conduct tests both for ongoing domestic competitions and the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympics.
The laboratory may appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within 21 days. It may also choose to reapply for accreditation, and can seek “fast track” process from the Executive Committee.
The only other accredited laboratory in South America is in Bogota, Colombia, with others also being in Havana, Cuba, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Montreal.
In other WADA news, the organization is seeking to fill holes on four of its standing committees in 2014: five spots on its Athlete Committee, four on its Education Committee, two on its Finance and Administration Committee, and six on its Health, Medical and Research Committees.
Applications should be submitted by October 11th to: fax +1 514 904 8743 or email [email protected]