The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) announced the successful accreditation of the anti-doping laboratory for the Games. The laboratory will be open 24/7 during the Olympics. It is estimated that the lab will analyse over 6,250 samples with approximately 400 tests taken every day. During the Games up to 1 in 2 athletes will be tested as well as every Olympic medalist. Over 240 prohibited substances will be tested for. The lab is provided by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and will be operated by Kings College London. The accreditation needed was granted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and is the final seal of approval for the lab. LOCOG Head of Anti-Doping, Jonathan Harris, said: The WADA accreditation is a green light signal that the lab is ready. The successful partnership between LOCOG, GSK and Kings has enabled us to present to WADA a brilliant laboratory for Kings to operate at Games time. The process needed to gain accreditation took over two-years and was based on two international standards ISO/IEC 17025, and the International Standard for Laboratories. These required the laboratory to undergo a series of rigorous tests to establish its analysis credentials. It also involved several site visits from WADAs Science Department and the ISO/IEC accrediting body prior to the granting of accreditation. The assessments undertaken for the approval focused mainly on the facility, equipment, procedures and staffing during three formal inspections and dummy sample testing. Achieving WADA accreditation means that the London 2012 anti-doping laboratory will operate to the highest standards of sample analysis during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Doping athletes must know that there is a very good chance they will be tested this summer and that everything scientifically possible and with the assistance of growing intelligence will be done to make sure that their efforts to cheat are detected by the experts at the laboratory John Fahey said, WADA President.: Professor David Cowan, Head of Kings College Londons Drug Control Centre and Director of the London 2012 anti-doping laboratory, said: I am thrilled to receive official accreditation from WADA at such an early stage. We have demonstrated that everything is in place and we are well prepared to deliver robust testing for the Games. This accreditation provides recognition of our ability to operate an effective anti-doping laboratory. Over 1,000 LOCOG staff will work on the Anti-Doping process and a team of more than 150 anti-doping scientists will carry out the testing at the laboratory, which will be independently led by Professor David Cowan from the Drug Control Centre at Kings College London.
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