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The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced that the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) will resume testing this week “on a phased basis” following a temporary suspension, initiated on 3 February, of its testing program on mainland China due to the coronavirus, also known as Covid-19″.
Almost three weeks of no anti-doping testing in China at the start of Olympic year – and at a time of the season when batches of 25-40 Chinese swimmers would be expected to face checks on a regular basis – has caused concern among Fair Play advocates.
Since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global emergency over coronavirus last month, the world sports calendar has been affected by cancellations and postponements. Among the many sports events affected, the Chinese Olympic Trials have been postponed from late March to a provisional date in May.
WADA, the global regulator of anti-doping, says that it has been “closely monitoring the situation and has remained in regular contact with CHINADA throughout in order to maintain the integrity of the anti-doping program in China”.
Swimming, a sport in which doping can make a big impact, is expected to be among “priority” sports as CHINADA return to testing.
In a statement just issued, WADA notes:
“To that end, CHINADA has advised that it will resume testing missions within China this week, on a phased basis. Priority will be given to testing elite level athletes from higher-risk categories and sports.
“The safety of athletes and sample collection personnel involved in the doping control process within China is the key priority. This needs to be balanced with the importance of ensuring that Chinese athletes remain subject to a rigorous testing program for the duration of the coronavirus situation.”
WADA added that CHINADA had implemented “a supplementary set of doping control guidelines to be followed during this period”.
The WADA statement explained: “These additional guidelines for CHINADA’s Doping Control Officers are designed as a precaution, to minimize the risk of infection. CHINADA will gradually expand the testing scope based on the progress of China’s epidemic prevention and control while also monitoring the whereabouts of Chinese athletes to maintain the integrity of the doping control system.
“While testing on mainland China was temporarily suspended, it should be noted that CHINADA continued to plan and conduct testing on Chinese athletes training and competing outside of China. In January 2020, CHINADA conducted more than 1,200 tests, including 114 urine samples and 80 blood samples from Chinese athletes training abroad. A further 165 urine samples and 113 blood samples are planned to be collected in February across seven countries and nine Olympic sports.”
The move back to normalisation of access to Chinese athletes goes beyond Chinese authorities. Says WADA: “CHINADA will shortly make contact with those Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) that have the right to collect samples from Chinese athletes in China and, under this strict protocol, is willing to accept missions from those organizations, in addition to those organized by CHINADA under its own program.”
That works both ways: “To supplement CHINADA’s testing outside China, WADA has written to all International Federations and National Anti-Doping Organizations calling on them to further support this effort in relation to testing Chinese athletes competing or training outside of China, as is their right under the World Anti-Doping Code.”
WADA concluded: “The anti-doping system allows for cooperation between ADOs – including National Anti-Doping Organizations, International Federations, Major Event Organizations etc. – to ensure that the integrity of the program is upheld and that athletes are still being properly tested.”
