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NEW DELHI: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on early Tuesday announced that it has suspended the accreditation of India’s National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) here for a second period of up to six months, starting July 17.
An original six-month suspension was imposed on the NDTL on August 20, 2019 due to non-conformities with the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL) identified during a WADA site visit, including in relation to the laboratory’s isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) analytical method, as regulated by the relevant WADA Technical Document. IRMS technique differentiates whether the prohibited substance has entered an athlete’s body endogenously or exogenously.
In February 2020, when the six-month suspension period elapsed and some outstanding non-conformities had not been addressed successfully, WADA’s Laboratory Expert Group (LabEG) recommended the initiation of further disciplinary proceedings against the laboratory based on the outstanding non-conformities.
According to the WADA, these disciplinary proceedings were carried out by an independent disciplinary committee that was mandated to make a recommendation to the chair of the WADA Executive Committee regarding the status of the NDTL’s accreditation, while the laboratory remained suspended. The disciplinary process concluded last week and the second six-month suspension began on July 17.
Pursuant to Article 13.7 of the World Anti-Doping Code, the NDTL may appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within 21 days of receipt of notice.
TOI had exclusively reported in January this year that the chances of the NDTL’s six-month ban getting lifted on February 20 looked bleak and a strong possibility remained that the suspension could well be extended for another six months. However, due to the covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown worldwide, the WADA cancelled its scheduled trip to India – first in December 2019 and later in March 2020 – and delayed its decision on the country’s lone dope testing laboratory.
The suspension prohibits the NDTL from carrying out any anti-doping activities, including all analyses of urine and blood samples. During the period of suspension, if the laboratory satisfies the LabEG in meeting the requirements, it may apply for reinstatement prior to the expiry of the six-month suspension period. Should the laboratory not address the non-conformities by the end of the six-month suspension period, WADA may extend the suspension of the laboratory’s accreditation for up to an additional six months.
In accordance with the ISL, WADA is responsible for accrediting and re-accrediting anti-doping laboratories, thereby ensuring that they maintain the highest quality standards. This monitoring process is conducted in conjunction with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assessment by independent national accreditation bodies that are full members of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
NDTL had earlier thought about an early reprieve after complying to 45 of the 47 counts (except for IRMS sampling procedure and validation of the IRMS data) listed by the WADA as a prerequisite condition to lift the ban. However, the WADA had rejected any such demand, which meant the urine and blood samples of Indian athletes kept transporting to Qatar’s Doha laboratory for testing at an exorbitant price.
In fact, sports minister Kiren Rijiju, too, had some critical words for the NDTL. “When I had come to the ministry and learnt about the issues facing the NDTL, I wasn’t happy at all. It should have been handled more professionally and in a better way,” Rijiju had told TOI in an earlier interview.
TOI had learnt from sources that the Wada was getting 38 samples – which it had collected from the NDTL – reviewed and retested for the IRMS procedure at its Rome facility. These samples were from the period between 2016 to August 2019. The samples were IRMS tested by the NDTL. Based on the retesting and undergoing the lab documentation procedure for samples obtained from the NDTL, the WADA reviewed the entire process and, based on the outcome, decided to extend the suspension.