Paris Olympics 2024: More than 1000 people deployed to test athletes for doping

Ahead of the forthcoming Paris Olympics 2024, the International Testing Agency (ITA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have deployed more than a thousand people to test around 4,000 athletes during the mega event.

At the Tokyo Olympics 2024, 6,200 samples were taken from around 4,000 competitors. However, only six turned out to be positive.

Furthermore, six athletes failed doping tests in the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022. Teenage Russian skater Kamila Valieva stole the headlines at the event as her positive test for trimetazidine a few weeks earlier was made public during the event. Eventually, she lost her team medal and was suspended for four years.

Athletes will be monitored during the quadrennial event in Paris by the ITA and WADA and certain disciplines like weightlifting are targeted more for testing. Also, countries with widespread corruption will be particularly tested.

Chinese swimmers, who recently gained the spotlight that they tested positive ahead of the Tokyo Games without being punished, are being monitored closely.

Also, ITA and WADA will keep a close eye on the athletes putting in unexpected displays or giving a significant rise in their performances. Also, the athletes who reach the podium or break records might be tested systematically.

Overall, the ITA is expecting to test some 4,000 of the 10,000 athletes present. Although it’s pointless to test everyone, the anti-doping officials feel it’s better to target the tests.

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More than 300 controllers and 800 volunteer chaperones are to be deployed during the Paris Olympics 2024

ITA and WADA have deployed more than 300 controllers and 800 volunteer ‘chaperones’ to collect urine and blood samples of athletes. They will be coordinated by the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD)

In total, some 50 anti-doping stations have been installed at the Olympic venues and in the village during the Paris Olympics 2024.

The organizers are also responsible for transporting the samples to the laboratory in Orsay, south of Paris. ITA and WADA will analyze the samples in the laboratory in Orsay.

In the lead-up to the Paris Olympics 2024, WADA created the spotlight after not punishing the Chinese swimmers whose dope tests came out positive after their performances in the Tokyo Olympics.

Interestingly, the Chinese authorities explained the results were caused by food contamination and WADA accepted the explanation.

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