300 anti-doping tests for Games: Agency

 By ISAIAH IGISH

THE Oceania Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (ORADO) is planning 300 in-competition tests when the 2015 Pacific Games begin, executive officer Natanya Potoi-Ulia says.

ORADO, the region’s anti-doping body, has been engaged by the Pacific Games Council to ensure a fair playing field among athletes.

The use of performance enhancing drugs, although not considered a problem among Pacific athletes, is an important issue.

Potoi-Ulia, who is based in Suva, Fiji, but runs a Oceania Sport Education Programme (OSEP) course in Samoa, said 300 athletes would be selected, either by random or by medal position, on a criteria specified by the Pacific Games Council, or in accordance to the respective sport’s anti-doping rules.

It will be the first time such tests are carried out in the country. 

There were no testing done during the 1969 and the 1991 Games, which the country hosted. 

The in-competition test period is from July 4-18. 

“ORADO, in partnership with the Papua New Guinea Sports Anti-Doping Organisation chaired by Dr Bernie Amof, is responsible for the coordination and implementation of the doping control programme during the Games, and will be working closely with the Pacific Games Organising Committee medical team,” Potoi-Ulia said.

“We are in a process of finalising a contract with the organising committee.

“ORADO will need to come up with a test distribution plan that will need to be approved and endorsed by Pacific Games Council — taking into consideration the respective sport federation anti-doping requirements.”

PNGSADO’s lead doping control officer Janet Gimots, who is based at the National Sports Institute in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, said they would conduct the drug tests and ensure the testing procedure was followed.

“PNGSADO has six trained doping control officers and one chaperone.

“These personnel were trained at the 2012 PNG Games in Kokopo and have been doing testing in the country.

“We anticipate some more will be trained a week before the Pacific Games,” Gimots said.

There will be a mixture of local and overseas-trained and accredited doping control officers (DCOs) engaged to perform the testing.

The doping control programme for the Games will be carried out in accordance with the international standards of testing and PGC anti-doping rules and regulations.

Potoi-Ulia said they were assisting the PGC update its anti-doping policy to comply with the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code that came into effect on January 1.

As part of the body’s function, they were organising and implementing anti-doping education throughout the region and PNG before the Games on:

• Drug testing procedures; 
• athletes and athlete support personnel rights and responsibilities (in relation to drug testing); 
• prohibited list of substances and methods; 
• consequences of doping (i.e. sanctions, social, and health) and anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs); and; 
• Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) application and process.