from the what-on-earth-were-they-smoking? dept.
Just weeks before the start of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has suspended the authority of a revamped drug testing laboratory in Rio de Janeiro:
The lab at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro said on Friday that it expected its operations would return to normal in July after a technical visit from WADA, ahead of the start of the games on Aug. 5. Still, the suspension adds to concerns about Rio's readiness to host the global sporting event as public services suffer amid a crisis in state finances. Technical errors leading to false positives were likely the cause of the suspension, a source familiar with the decision said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
"The suspension will only be lifted by WADA when the laboratory is operating optimally," Olivier Niggli, the incoming director general of the agency, said in a statement.
[...] WADA's decision is the latest black eye for the Rio anti-doping lab, after a lack of credentials forced testing for the 2014 World Cup to take place in Switzerland. With an eye on the Olympics, Brazil invested 188 million reais ($56 million) in new installations and equipment for the lab, which was recertified by WADA last year. The government also rushed through an executive order in March updating Brazil's doping laws to comply with international standards.
Also at The Atlantic and The New York Times .
In other doping news, the U.S. National Football League has announced that it will "interview" players named in an Al-Jazeera America documentary on performance-enhancing drug use... with the exception of the retired player Peyton Manning. The veracity of the Al-Jazeera report is disputed since it relies on recanted claims.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Adamsjas on Saturday June 25 2016, @06:24PM
This whole Olympic thing is way too big and expensive. It has nothing to do with sports or athletic competition any more. Its a mess, and the athletes are merely pawns.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 25 2016, @09:07PM
But hey some corrupt fat cat is getting even richer, isn't that noble and heart-warming?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 25 2016, @10:26PM
The fact that the olympic games lately have been in VERY questionable cities (You know, cities that only get the vote by making promises to actually meet specific minimum requirements - and essentially FAILING to do so anyway) kinda proves your point. The fact that there IS a major concern over the health issues in Rio de Janeiro that the city failed to clean up (And in fact just gave up trying to clean up) is just a very visible sign of this.
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Sunday June 26 2016, @06:29PM
Are you counting London in that list of very questionable cities?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 25 2016, @06:55PM
Maybe he'll join Manning and decide it's a good time to retire.... timing had nothing to do with the drug allegations, of course.
(Score: 2) by gawdonblue on Sunday June 26 2016, @01:09AM
Why did the lab get suspended?
Perhaps this lab was going to be too independent?
Perhaps the lab was going to find that athletes from "our" countries are drug enhanced too?
Perhaps it will get reinstated as long as "independent" overseers are put in charge of the samples?
Perhaps WADA is run for certain nationalistic interests.
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Sunday June 26 2016, @06:41PM
Don't forget that the Russian lab has recently been suspended [bbc.co.uk]. That's the country that hosted the Winter Olympics in 2014. Of course, you could say that was a ruse, creating a precedence for suspending Rio's lab, but I think you'd need a few more layers of foil on your hat first.