The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is set to evaluate India's National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), a crucial step in ensuring the integrity of anti-doping measures and potentially bringing the WADA Global Education Conference to India.
Key Points
- WADA will assess the performance of India's National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) in the next few months.
- The assessment is considered a routine process for WADA-accredited laboratories.
- NDTL was previously suspended from 2019 to 2021 due to non-conformities with international standards.
- India is interested in hosting the next WADA Global Education Conference (GEC).
- WADA President Witold Banka expressed satisfaction with the NDTL facility after a recent visit.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Witold Banka on Thursday said that the performance of India's National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) here would be assessed in the next few months, a process that the NADA described as routine.
In a press conference after the Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network (GAIIN) Final Conference here, Banka was asked whether NDTL's performance would be audited. He replied in the affirmative.
"Assessment of results in India will be done in the next few months," he said.
Established in 1990, the NDTL is one of only 29 WADA-accredited laboratories worldwide. It is one among six such labs in Asia alongside China, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, and Thailand.
Along with handling the testing of samples from within India, it also carries out testing for South Asian countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka who do not have WADA-approved facilities of their own.
A NADA source told PTI that there wasn't much to be read into this assessment as all WADA labs are scrutinised routinely.
"NDTL is WADA accredited and it is a routine process to assess the performance of the lab. The accrediting authority will do it," the source said.
NDTL was suspended from 2019 to 2021 after a site visit by WADA officials ruled that it had non-conformities with international standards.
Banka, however, was satisfied with what he observed during his visit to the facility earlier this week.
India's Bid To Host WADA Global Education Conference
Banka, in an interaction with PTI after the press conference, said that India was among the nations interested in hosting the next WADA Global Education Conference (GEC).
The conference brings together anti-doping practitioners, researchers, government officials and athletes to discuss "emerging trends, contribute to education program development, and examine how education can continue to further anti-doping efforts internationally."
"I have been told that India is one of the interested nations but there is a bidding process involved and we will know later if we have got there," he said.
The GEC has had four editions so far, the last being in 2024 in France.
"I hope to see India stronger. They have shown big appetite to work with us."
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