Oragnisers set up dope testing facility for World Cup

Bridgetown, Barbados, Feb 25 (UNI) With doping becoming a major headache for the ICC, the World Cup organisers have turned a government forensic laboratory here into a satellite office for WADA to conduct drug tests during the mega-event starting next month.

''The accreditation process for our forensics lab is just about complete. The original proposal was that we would have full accreditation as a WADA lab so that we could do testing not just for the Cricket World Cup but also for other international events,'' Barbados' Attorney General Dale Marshall was quoted by 'CMC Sports' as saying.

''There were some challenges along the way so we had to move back from that position somewhat to the point where the mission was to establish our forensics lab as a satellite facility,'' he added.

The laboratory has been renovated with the support of University of London and the testing procedures would also be carried out with their support.

''We have partnered with the University of London and they have an excellent laboratory which is very highly regarded internationally and we have therefore passed all the criteria, so our facility could be accredited as a satellite laboratory,'' he said.

''The testing would in a sense be testing by the UK laboratory, being done in Barbados. This for us is still a victory. It has allowed our people here to receive an advanced level of training, which will be to their benefit,'' he explained.

UNI