The decision by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) to collect blood samples from all of the athletes participating in the 13th World Championships presently going on in Daegu, South Korea came at an opportune time for The Bahamas Anti-Doping Commission.
Although Hurricane Irene caused postponement of much of the BADC's scheduled weekend of activities, the organization was profiled with the publication of its first supplement and guest spots on ZNS/TV 13 and Star 106.5 FM.
Even if the full program for the weekend, inclusive of two days of training sessions and a full seminar, had been completed, the situation in Daegu would still have been considered an important dimension to bring about a proper understanding of the job before the BADC.
The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations is the largest and most successful sports federation in the country. With athletes, coaches, trainers and administrators getting firsthand knowledge in Daegu of how serious the anti-doping battle has become the world over, the task for the BADC becomes that much easier.
Members of other sports federations have also been informed of what became an absolute "must" in Daegu for the track and field athletes. They should function now with an awareness of agencies worldwide that have united to ensure "Clean Sports" for all competitions. For instance with its initiative in Daegu, the IAAF was endorsed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the Lausanne (WADA-accredited) Anti-Doping Laboratory, the Korean Anti-Doping Agency, the Doping Center of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and the Daegu Local Organizing Committee.
For this World Championships event, the blood samples go along with the anti-doping measures that are routine. Accordingly this would mean the collection of somewhere around 500 urine samples plus the blood tests for "all athletes".
The blood samples appear now to be the way of the future as athlete biological passports become essential. An IAAF website article further explained:
"The fundamental principle of the athlete biological passport is based on the monitoring of an athlete's biomarkers (characteristics that give certain indications) over time. The focus is not on the detection of prohibited substances or methods themselves, as for traditional doping tests, but on proving the use and effect of these substances and methods by way of abnormal variations in an athlete's biomarkers that would otherwise be stable.
As one of the leading international sport federations in the fight against doping, the IAAF has fully engaged in the implementation of the athlete biological passport at an early stage since it believed it to be a key tool in the modern fight against doping." It is indeed crucial that the IAAF, under President Lamine Diack, has selected one of the biggest competitive forums in the world to unwrap the blood-sampling program.
Diack, the Senegal native and former elite long jumper, has been a strong advocate during his leadership of the IAAF for fair competition and youth development. On Wednesday, August 24, he was re-elected unopposed to a presidency he has held since 1999. This significant step taken by the IAAF will certainly assist the BADC in its efforts to educate a nation about the anti-doping program.
(To respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at frobertsturrup@gmail.com).
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