IOC conducts over 14,000 doping tests ahead of Winter Olympics for sake of a clean game

NewsBharati    19-Jan-2018
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Lausanne, January 19: Doping, the heinous common crime which not only harms a particular athlete but could ruin a total tournament. For the sake of a clean game, over 14,000 doping tests have been conducted ahead of next month’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Due to recent Russian doping scandal, special focus was on Russian athletes.

International Olympics Committee (IOC) came up with the information on Thursday. There was a 70 percent increase in the number of tests conducted between April and December 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016. Athletes from 61 countries were tested in total.

“Protecting clean athletes by fighting doping is a top priority for the IOC... we are committed to working with our partners to ensure that Pyeongchang 2018 provides a level playing field for all clean athletes,” IOC medical and scientific director Richard Budgett said.

Russian Doping scandal in Sochi Games shook the athletic world which led to the ban of Russi from Olympics. An independent report for the World Anti-Doping Agency exposed the scandal.

"The sporting integrity of the Games is vital, and we are committed to working with our partners to ensure that Pyeongchang 2018 provides a level playing field for all clean athletes," IOC said in a press release.

"This more targeted testing focuses on specific disciplines and nationalities that are at particular risk, as well as individual athletes and groups of athletes selected based on their ranking, and any suspicious change in performance or adverse testing history," added the IOC.