Method was developed during an investigation into weightlifting and will now be used in other sports
Thursday 22 October 2020 19:34, UK
A new method to detect when 'doppelgangers' have provided clean urine samples for athletes has been developed as part of a World Anti-Doping Agency investigation.
WADA said its independent intelligence and investigation (I&I) unit developed a methodology to detect when substitution had occurred in weightlifting and will now be shared more widely with different sports and national anti-doping agencies.
A report from the agency said Operation Arrow, which the unit commenced in September last year, identified 10 athletes who it could confirm via DNA profile analysis had been involved in urine substitution, and a further eight who were very likely to have been.
In the case of those eight, the original samples had been destroyed, because they were negative. The 18 athletes' cases will be forwarded to the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), with Operation Arrow still an ongoing investigation.
The investigation has also identified other 'persons of interest' who are suspected of being involved.
The head of the investigations unit, Aaron Walker, has called for a change in policy on the length of time negative samples are stored.
Operation Arrow was born out of an earlier investigation, Operation Heir, which centred on an organised doping and protection scheme in Romanian weightlifting.
Gunter Younger, the director of the I&I unit, said: "The methodology applied as part of Operation Arrow in identifying cases of urine substitution can easily be applied to sports other than weightlifting.
"We will share the learnings and methodologies with anti-doping organisations, laboratories and athlete passport management units to ensure a global and united effort to address urine substitution."
