China hails 'toughest ever' anti-doping measures

With pre-Games testing and educational programs conducted on an unprecedented scale, the China Anti-Doping Agency has reiterated its confidence that the host delegation will deliver clean and honest performances at Beijing 2022.

As Chinese athletes suit up for the opening of their home Winter Olympics on Friday, CHINADA, the country's anti-doping authority, is also going all out on a four-year mission to guarantee that all Team China's athletes chase their Olympic dreams in a clean and fair manner, throughout the Games and beyond.

Sticking to a zero-tolerance policy, CHINADA has completed over 7,000 doping tests covering all the athletes involved in preparations for Beijing 2022 since March 2018, up dramatically from the 1,025 tests conducted prior to the last Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The massive testing program has also extended to international qualification meets and Olympic warm-up events, with over 1,100 tests carried out by CHINADA-entrusted agencies at overseas locations, despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since Dec 20, three rounds of testing have collected 1,700 samples to ensure that athletes already included in or to be named on the final Olympic roster have zero possibility of deliberately or unintentionally violating any doping-control rules, according to CHINADA.

"Our pre-Games testing program for the Beijing Winter Olympics has been the longest, toughest and most vigilant ever in the history both of our country and the world,"Chen Zhiyu, director of CHINADA, told China Daily on Sunday.

"With aggressive testing and tough penalties as deterrents, we are also taking advantage of a streamlined anti-doping management system covering all teams, and a proactive educational program to ensure that our effort is seamless, rigorous and effective and that our athletes do not dare, have no means or have no intentions to use banned substances of any kind."

As part of the education program, more than 1,300 athletes, coaches and logistics staff from 29 national teams or training camps have completed anti-doping online courses.

Only those that have earned sufficient points and passed mandatory tests are allowed to compete for spots on the country's Olympic roster, according to CHINADA.

To reduce the risk of unintentional doping, due to either the intake of medicine or food contamination, CHINADA has issued guidance for athletes and logistics personnel at eight national training bases.

Over the past 25 months, there have been no positive tests among national team athletes preparing for Beijing 2022, according to Chen.

Another highlight of the anti-doping program for Beijing 2022 is the official use of dried-blood spot testing for the first time in Olympic history.

The method has been jointly developed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic Committee and multiple national agencies including CHINADA.

It involves the sampling of a small volume of blood, which is then dried on filter paper, making transportation easier and enabling it to be stored for as long as 10 years before analysis.

After a trial run at the Tokyo Summer Olympics last year, the routine use of the new method, as a complement to traditional blood and urine tests, at Beijing 2022 will make sample collection more convenient, the transport less expensive and storage easier.

"It's a great example of technological innovation in the anti-doping effort, which will significantly facilitate our fight against doping," said Chen.

The testing method has been implemented by CHINADA for all China's Olympic programs, covering 400 samples collected before the Tokyo Games and 300 in the buildup to the Beijing Winter Olympics. The initiative makes China a global pioneer in using the method for elite athletes.

Underlining the country's strong stance against doping, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress formally criminalized doping in December 2020.

Since taking effect on March 1,2021, anyone who lures, instigates or cheats athletes into using banned substances in either domestic or international competitions faces up to three years' imprisonment and a fine.

Heavier punishments will be given to those organizing or forcing athletes to use banned substances, while knowingly offering banned substances to athletes is also a criminal offense.

"Zero tolerance doesn't just represent an attitude, it is embodied by a series of comprehensive measures, education programs and tough punishments that all combine to guarantee the dignity and integrity of sports in our country," said Chen.