The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has declared the laboratory that will test athletes competing at the London Olympics as ready to serve its purpose.
The lab at King’s College London Drug Control Center has received accreditation from WADA on Monday, after a two-year testing program that examined the equipment, staff, and procedures of the laboratory.
The lab, located in central London, was visited several times by officials from the science department of WADA. It went through three formal inspections, as well as dummy sample testing.
John Fahey, President of WADA, shared: “Achieving WADA accreditation means that the London 2012 Anti-Doping Laboratory will operate to the highest standards of sample analysis during the Olympic and Paralympic Games… Doping athletes must know that there is a very good chance they will be tested this summer and that everything scientifically possible — and with the assistance of growing intelligence — will be done to make sure that their efforts to cheat are detected by the experts at the laboratory.”
The laboratory spans seven tennis courts, and it will be processing as many as 400 samples per day during the Olympics and Paralympics. It will be running 24 hours a day, with 150 scientists working in it. Some results may be available within 24 hours of the test.
David Cowan, director of the laboratory, shared: “I am thrilled to receive official accreditation from WADA at such an early stage… We have demonstrated that everything is in place and we are well prepared to deliver robust testing for the games. This accreditation provides recognition of our ability to operate an effective anti-doping laboratory.”
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