China’s anti-doping lab suspended over results error

In this Monday, June 30, 2008 file photo, urine samples from Chinese athletes are recorded upon arriving at China Anti-Doping Agency in Beijing. AP File photo

BEIJING, China—China’s National Anti-Doping Agency says it is moving to fix problems at its testing laboratory that led the World Anti-Doping Agency to suspend it for a maximum period of four months.

WADA said the suspension takes effect immediately and “prohibits the laboratory from carrying out any WADA-related anti-doping activities including all analyses of urine and blood samples.”

The Chinese agency CHINADA said in a statement on its website Friday that WADA had issued the suspension after a pair of false negative results was produced from a double-blind sample test.

WADA said it requires the lab to take five remedial steps identified by the world body’s disciplinary committee, and to address “non-conformities identified in its External Quality Assessment Scheme (EQAS) program and any other non-conformities identified during WADA site visits.”

If those steps are taken, the four-month suspension can be lifted early.

The Chinese lab was also given 21 days to appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration forSport, though its statement indicated it would instead seek to meet WADA’s standards.

The latest action followed moves last week by WADA to strip accreditation from the national laboratories in Moscow and Lisbon as the world body seeks to lift standards following a series of recent doping scandals.