Indian lab gets WADA accreditation restored

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 23

The National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) has been granted accreditation after a two-year suspension over non-compliance of World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) protocols.

The NDTL laboratory can start testing with immediate effect.

This development will be a big relief as the samples had to be shipped to dope testing labs in other countries, including Qatar, on chargeable basis.

Sports minister Anurag Thakur announced the development on the ministry’s Twitter handle in the evening.

“National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) regains the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accreditation. Restoration of accreditation is a boost to India’s efforts to achieve the highest global standards of excellence in sport. This is the result of untiring efforts by GOI,” Thakur wrote.

NDTL’s accreditation was suspended in August 2019 for non-compliances which were found during the WADA team’s visit in September 2018. The WADA team had asked the Indian laboratory to fix the problems and failing which the accreditation was withdrawn.

WADA officials found the Indian unit was not following the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL) protocols, besides the isotope ratio mass spectrometry was also showing inconsistencies.

Early this year, WADA had initiated more disciplinary proceedings against the Indian laboratory after it failed to address the anomalies in the testing protocols.

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