ArchiveBeijing
Olympic Visitors to King's Drug Control Lab
16 May 2008 www.kcl.ac.uk
Members of the Beijing Olympic Games drug testing team are visiting King’s Drug Control Centre this week on a fact-finding mission to learn from the UK’s only accredited laboratory how to rid the Games of drug cheats.
The Drug Control Centre analyses samples collected from human sports competitors covering events and training in the UK. It is one of 33 laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Working with UK Sport to implement the UK’s anti-doping policy in sport, the Centre carried out more than 7,000 tests across 50 sports last year.
The Chinese delegation comprises three senior scientists. As the Drug Control Centre is one of the few WADA approved laboratories working in the area of Growth Hormone testing, the Chinese team are spending the week at King’s sharing the Centre’s experience in this field.
Well respected internationally
The Centre, led by Director, Professor David Cowan, is well respected internationally and has a proven record of successfully delivering analysis services for major games. It was the first human sports drug-testing laboratory established outside of an Olympic Games.
Professor Cowan, who was involved in the successful bid for the London 2012 Olympic Games, comments: ‘As part of our continuing involvement in working with and assisting other WADA accredited laboratories, we are delighted to be hosting a group of senior scientists from the Beijing laboratories, preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
‘The Drug Control Centre at King’s College London has many years’ experience in assisting other laboratories meet the demanding requirements of major Games: four Winter Olympic Games, two Summer Olympic Games and a Commonwealth Games.’
Scientists from the Drug Control Centre have been invited to work alongside their Chinese colleagues this summer in Beijing to assist the Chinese in their work to stop those athletes who cheat by taking drugs.
Source: www.kcl.ac.uk
