home → Treadmill What is doping, what does it affect and how is it found? The procedure for passing doping control (based on materials from the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA) Where doping samples are stored

What is doping, what does it affect and how is it found? The procedure for passing doping control (based on materials from the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA) Where doping samples are stored

Before sports competitions, athletes undergo blood and urine tests. The samples taken are divided into two parts - these are samples A and B, which are examined for the presence of prohibited substances.

Sample A is analyzed first by the doping control authority, and Sample B is retained in case the blood or urine needs to be tested for prohibited substances again (for example, if the athlete appeals the results of the analysis of the first sample). If a prohibited drug was found in sample A, sample B will either confirm or deny this.

Upon detection of a Prohibited Substance in the A Sample, the Athlete will be advised that he has the right to open the B Sample or to waive this right. The Athlete may be present during the opening of the B Sample or may send a representative to participate in the opening procedure.

Who conducts the testing of sample B?

Sample B is opened and examined in the same anti-doping laboratory where Sample A was examined, but by a different specialist. After opening the bottle with sample B, part of the sample is taken from it for testing, and the rest of the sample is transferred to a new bottle and sealed.

How much does the analysis cost?

Taking an A sample is free of charge, but if the athlete insists on taking a B sample, he will have to pay for it. The cost of the service is about $1000 and depends on the laboratory where the autopsy and analysis takes place. The order of the amounts is 800-1000 dollars.

Let's look at the problem of doping not through the eyes of athletes, but through the eyes of chemists who work in Anti-Doping Centers.

A huge number of anti-doping tests are done around the world, not only during competitions, but also between them. What samples are taken from athletes and what problems do chemists face?

FSUE Anti-Doping Center analyzes about 15,000 urine samples and about 4,000 blood samples per year. Most of the substances on the list of prohibited drugs are determined in urine samples. However, over the past ten years, blood tests have been increasingly taken, since this is the only way to check whether the athlete has had a blood transfusion, as well as determine the hemoglobin level, hematocrit, red blood cell concentration and other parameters that the Athlete’s Biological Passport program assumes.

Growth hormone, some types of erythropoietin and insulins are also determined exclusively in blood serum. Today, some anti-doping laboratories are conducting studies to demonstrate that blood testing can be comprehensive and can determine everything. But since it is still more difficult to collect blood (sampling requires a specialist with a medical education), and many techniques will have to be developed anew, anti-doping control will probably continue to be mainly based on the analysis of urine samples.

Chemists working in the field of doping control have quite a lot of problems. Over the past ten years, the list of prohibited drugs has expanded significantly, new prohibited classes of compounds have appeared, for the determination of which it was necessary to develop and implement analytical methods. It is clear that this requires money and extremely highly qualified laboratory personnel.

In general, the system works as follows:

There are anti-doping laboratories that analyze samples received by them, and there are national and international anti-doping organizations that plan and collect these samples from athletes, both during and outside of competition. So that doping control inspectors can take a sample at any time, international athletes provide information about their whereabouts several months in advance (for every day!). The list of substances prohibited out of competition is almost half as long, but in general doping control occurs almost continuously. The laboratory's analysis results are sent to anti-doping organizations, which draw appropriate conclusions and investigate violations. The laboratory only detects the presence (or absence) of prohibited substances in athletes’ samples and does not provide feedback to athletes.

How is it possible to identify such a large number of diverse substances? And what new methods do chemists offer for this?

It's really not easy. About ten years ago, when the list of prohibited substances was approximately half as long, most anti-doping laboratories followed the practice of having a separate line of analysis for each class of substance. In other words, volatile stimulants, narcotics, anabolic steroids, diuretics, beta blockers, corticosteroids, etc. were separately determined. Due to the large number of assay lines, it was not possible to examine many samples quickly. To “catch” small concentrations of substances, samples had to be concentrated. Most laboratories combined gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. To determine substances in nanoquantities, high-resolution mass spectrometers (magnetic sector analyzers) were used, and this is complex and difficult-to-use equipment.

At some point, the laboratories were simply overwhelmed, as anti-doping services, trying to test as many athletes as possible, sent more and more samples. Today, laboratories use systems that combine high efficiency chromatographic separation (gas and liquid chromatography) and mass spectrometric detection. These are the so-called triple quadrupole mass analyzers. New instruments determine with the highest sensitivity and reliability whether the sample contains the substances of interest to us. Firstly, this allows you to use a smaller sample volume (to the point that it can be diluted several times with water and directly introduced into the device, if we are talking about liquid chromatography), and secondly, it increases the number of compounds determined in one analysis . Thus, thanks to modern equipment, methods have become simpler and more universal, and this has significantly increased the productivity of anti-doping laboratories.

Liquid chromatograph combined with an orbital ion trap mass spectrometer (desktop version, manufacturer THERMO)

At the same time, sample preparation methods were developed. If previously liquid-liquid extraction was mainly used, which is almost impossible to automate, now solid-phase extraction is increasingly used, including an option in which a sorbent with the desired properties is applied to the surface of magnetic microparticles. It is very convenient to manipulate such particles - the suspension is added to the test sample, and the compounds being determined are themselves adsorbed on their surface. The tube is then placed in a magnetic field, which fixes the particles at the bottom, and the remaining sample is poured out. After this, the microparticles are usually washed to remove unwanted components, and the desired compounds are washed off with a small volume of organic solvent - and that's it, the sample is ready for analysis.

Gas chromatograph in combination with a triple quadrupole mass analyzer (THERMO manufacturer)

The sample preparation procedure is not only simple, but can be easily automated. This is a kind of nanotechnology in chemical analysis, and is usually used to search for substances of a peptide nature, such as synthetic analogues of insulin, in urine or blood. Now chemists are finding out whether this method can also be used to extract low molecular weight compounds. Unfortunately, the method is quite expensive, so it is not always used in all laboratories.

Time-of-flight mass spectrometer that can be combined with both liquid and gas chromatographs (manufacturer WATERS)

In general, anti-doping control is focused on identifying specified compounds. During the analysis, you will see only those prohibited drugs for which your gas chromatography-mass spectrometer is pre-set, and all other information about the sample is lost. At the same time, the list of prohibited substances in many sections contains the following wording: “... and other substances with a similar structure or properties” or in general “any substances that are at the stage of clinical trials and not approved for official use.” To be able to analyze the sample again for some other substances without repeating sample preparation, you need to use instrumental methods that save all information about the sample. There are such devices: these are time-of-flight mass spectrometers or mass spectrometers operating on the principle of an orbital ion trap. They record all data (not just given data) with high resolution, but working with such devices also has its own difficulties and limitations. Despite their high cost, they have already become part of laboratory practice - for example, we have several orbital ion traps in Moscow (they are called “Orbitrap”).

How quickly is one analysis done? Why is an athlete sometimes disqualified after he has already received a medal?

According to the international standard, 10 working days are allotted for analysis. At major sporting events, such as the Olympic Games, this period is 24 hours for samples that show a negative result, 48 hours for samples that require additional testing (i.e. where the screening result shows the presence of a prohibited substance), and 72 hours for complex tests - such as the determination of erythropoietin or the origin of testosterone by isotope mass spectrometry.
However, in recent years, the practice of long-term (up to eight years) storage of samples has emerged so that in the future, as new prohibited drugs and methods for their determination become available, it will be possible to carry out repeated analysis. This was the case, in particular, with samples from the 2008 Olympics: more than a year after the end, they were analyzed for the new generation erythropoietin MIRCERA in the Lausanne anti-doping laboratory, and the result for some athletes was disappointing.

When did they start testing athletes for the use of prohibited drugs? How many are on the list for the Olympics this year?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) published the first list of prohibited drugs in 1963, but testing began only five years later (in 1968) - at the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble and the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Actually, the history of anti-doping control began from the moment when it became technically possible to do such analyzes en masse thanks to the active development of chromatography and mass spectrometry methods.

At first, the list of prohibited drugs included only stimulants, narcotic analgesics and anabolic steroids. Over time, other classes of compounds were added - diuretics, beta-blockers, beta2-agonists, drugs with anti-estrogenic activity, peptide hormones, and the number of drugs within each class increased markedly.

Currently, the list of prohibited drugs, which is reviewed once a year, contains about 200 compounds of various natures. It should be noted that a significant part of them (for example, almost all anabolic steroids) are completely metabolized (modified) when they enter the human body, so laboratories often determine not the prohibited drugs themselves, but the products of their transformation in the body. This is a rather difficult task - in order to solve it, you must first study the metabolic process in detail, and then learn to identify the longest-lived metabolites. In fact, modern anti-doping analysis is at the intersection of analytical chemistry, biochemistry and pharmacology.

The preparation of the anti-doping laboratory for the Olympic Games begins long before them. After all, by the right time, she should already have all available methods and techniques, including those that have not yet entered into everyday practice.
There don’t seem to be many laboratories in the world officially accredited by the IOC, the results of which are recognized by the IOC. But at the same time, there are probably other laboratories in every country that monitor their athletes and, undoubtedly, can warn them if they detect any prohibited substances.

Nevertheless, scandals do happen. What is the problem? In athletes or in the level of qualifications and equipment of accredited laboratories that determine lower concentrations and a wider range of substances?

Only laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have the right to test athletes. There are currently 33 such laboratories in the world, and in Russia there is only one - FSUE Anti-Doping Center (WADA suspended the activities of the center on November 10, 2015). International sports organizations categorically condemn assisting athletes in the use of prohibited drugs, but there is evidence that in a number of countries there are laboratories that do not operate entirely officially. Of course, they have limited access to new methods for testing prohibited substances. So it’s absolutely true: accredited laboratories can do more and are better equipped, so it’s difficult to deceive them.

However, even these 33 laboratories differ in equipment - it strongly depends on the level of financial support from the state. In addition, it must be taken into account that some laboratories received accreditation only a couple of years ago, while others have existed for thirty years. Therefore, all these laboratories formally comply with WADA requirements, but not all are equally good. In addition, some techniques are mastered by only one or two laboratories in the world. Therefore, doping scandals are still an integral part of modern sports.

If you look at the dynamics, are there more or fewer cases of disqualification of athletes due to doping at each Olympics? What's the trend?

Most likely, we have already passed the maximum. As equipment and chemical analysis techniques improved, more and more cases of violations of the anti-doping code were identified from Olympics to Olympics. It is believed that the apogee was reached in 2004. Now the situation is changing for the better, as well as the consciousness of the athletes, so the organizers of the 2016 Olympics are hoping for “clean” games this year.

However, not everything is so simple with our “Anti-Doping Center”: On November 10, 2015, the Global Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) temporarily stopped the work of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, after which its head Grigory Rodchenkov resigned, which was accepted by the Ministry of Sports. According to the WADA commission, Rodchenkov eliminated 1,417 doping samples three days before the test. Later, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said that the recertification of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory should be at the end of two thousand fifteen or at the very beginning of two thousand sixteen. The Government of the Russian Federation will reorganize the anti-doping center in Moscow into a federal budgetary institution, the powers of the founder will be exercised by the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. The main goal of the institution will be anti-doping support for Russian national sports teams.

Let's follow the news.

Source of information: “HiZh” (2012)

Timofey Gennadievich Sobolevsky, Deputy Director, Head of the Laboratory of Chromato-Mass Spectrometric Analysis Methods of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Anti-Doping Center, Candidate of Chemical Sciences, talks about the difficult task that analytical chemists face during sports competitions.

A huge number of anti-doping tests are done around the world, not only during competitions, but also between them. What samples are taken from athletes and what problems do chemists face?

Our FSUE Anti-Doping Center analyzes about 15,000 urine samples and about 4,000 blood samples per year. Most of the substances on the list of prohibited drugs are determined in urine samples. However, over the past ten years, blood tests have been increasingly taken, since this is the only way to check whether the athlete has had a blood transfusion, as well as determine the hemoglobin level, hematocrit, red blood cell concentration and other parameters that the Athlete’s Biological Passport program assumes.

In general, the system works as follows:

How is it possible to identify such a large number of diverse substances? And what new methods do chemists offer for this?

It's really not easy. About ten years ago, when the list of prohibited substances was approximately half as long, most anti-doping laboratories followed the practice of having a separate line of analysis for each class of substance. In other words, volatile stimulants, narcotics, anabolic steroids, diuretics, beta blockers, corticosteroids were separately determined... Due to the large number of lines of analysis, it was impossible to quickly examine many samples. To “catch” small concentrations of substances, samples had to be concentrated. Most laboratories combined gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. To determine substances in nanoquantities, high-resolution mass spectrometers (magnetic sector analyzers) were used, and this is complex and difficult-to-use equipment.

At some point, the laboratories were simply overwhelmed, as anti-doping services, trying to test as many athletes as possible, sent more and more samples.
Today, laboratories use systems that combine high efficiency chromatographic separation (gas and liquid chromatography) and mass spectrometric detection. These are the so-called triple quadrupole mass analyzers. New instruments determine with the highest sensitivity and reliability whether the sample contains the substances of interest to us. Firstly, this allows you to use a smaller sample volume (to the point that it can be diluted several times with water and directly introduced into the device, if we are talking about liquid chromatography), and secondly, it increases the number of compounds determined in one analysis . Thus, thanks to modern equipment, methods have become simpler and more universal, and this has significantly increased the productivity of anti-doping laboratories.

How quickly is one analysis done? Why is an athlete sometimes disqualified after he has already received a medal?

When did they start testing athletes for the use of prohibited drugs? How many are on the list for the Olympics this year?

Only laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have the right to test athletes. There are now 33 such laboratories in the world, and in Russia there is only one - the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Anti-Doping Center. International sports organizations categorically condemn assisting athletes in the use of prohibited drugs, but there is evidence that in a number of countries there are laboratories that do not operate entirely officially. Of course, they have limited access to new methods for testing prohibited substances. So it’s absolutely true: accredited laboratories can do more and are better equipped, so it’s difficult to deceive them.

If you look at the dynamics, are there more or fewer cases of disqualification of athletes due to doping at each Olympics? What's the trend?

Most likely, we have already passed the maximum. As equipment and chemical analysis techniques improved, more and more cases of violations of the anti-doping code were identified from Olympics to Olympics. I think the apogee was reached in 2004. Now the situation is changing for the better, as well as the consciousness of the athletes, so the organizers of the Olympics this year are hoping for “clean” games.

Prohibited list

This is a list of substances and methods that athletes are not allowed to use. WADA specialists update it every year and publish it on their website www.wada-ama.org. It consists of three sections: substances and methods that are prohibited in sports at all times (both during and outside of competition); substances prohibited only in competitions; and finally, alcohol with beta blockers, which cannot be consumed in some sports during competition.

As a separate point, the World Anti-Doping Agency draws attention to the use of dietary supplements, which may be of poor quality and contain prohibited substances.

The first section contains five classes of drugs and three methods. The first class is anabolic steroids, which includes anabolic steroids and other anabolic substances. These substances accelerate all processes in the body, stimulate tissue renewal, their nutrition and allow you to quickly build muscle mass. Everything is clear about androgenic steroids (male and female sex hormones) - even high school students who come to build muscles for the first time are told about them. But non-steroidal anabolics are a much more subtle substance. These can be blockers and modulators of individual receptors (for example, the drug clenbuterol, which is used to treat bronchial asthma, at the same time it is a powerful fat burner and anabolic) and harmless riboxin, methyluracil and potassium orotate (each in its own way and quite harmlessly increases endurance and regenerative abilities of the body).

The second class is peptide hormones. Within this class there are several groups, including growth hormones, insulins, erythropoietins and other substances that increase muscle mass and reduce fat, increase glucose levels, immunity, endurance and even reduce the number of injuries.

The next large class is beta2-agonists, a wide range of drugs that are used in medicine for diseases of the cardiovascular system and asthma. In healthy people, these substances temporarily increase resistance to physical activity, since they dilate the bronchi and help open the “second wind”.

The next class is hormones and metabolic modulators, substances with antiestrogenic activity. The latter includes the well-known anti-cancer drug tamoxifen (and others like it), which is prescribed as the gold standard for breast cancer in women. In sports, it is combined with anabolic steroids, since an excess of the latter is converted into the female sex hormone estrogen and can “feminize” athletes (tamoxifen competes for estrogen receptors and prevents it from acting). With metabolic modulators, and there are extremely many of them, everything is clear: cell nutrition, metabolism acceleration, endurance, and so on.

Plus, of course, diuretics and other masking agents that allow you to reduce body weight and quickly remove excess chemicals from the body are prohibited. Also on the WADA list are three methods: procedures that activate the transfer of oxygen in the blood; chemical and physical manipulation of blood (including harmless intravenous infusions of saline); and gene doping, including manipulation of normal and genetically modified cells.

At competitions, you cannot use substances of all categories from the first section, as well as stimulants (including nasal drops containing ephedrine), drugs, cannabinoids (marijuana, hashish) and glucocorticosteroids (reduce inflammation, relieve pain).
However, athletes also get sick. Therefore, if you submit an application for a specific medicine in advance, justifying the need according to all the rules of science, you will be able to obtain permission to take it.

Sanctions for anti-doping rule violations range from a warning to a lifetime ban. If a positive test comes during the competition, the results are canceled and the athlete is deprived of medals and prizes. All results from competitions held after the sample was taken may also be disqualified.

Read on Zozhnik:

DOPING SAMPLES FROM SALT LAKE CITY ANALYZED IN MOSCOW

Moscow, Elizavetinsky proezd, 10. At this address is located one of the most mysterious sports institutions - the Anti-Doping Center of Russia, the only laboratory in our country that has received accreditation from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The center is headed by Professor Vitaly Semenov. SE correspondents went to him to ask questions that interested our readers.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN?

Thanks to Professor Semenov: he immediately agreed to become our guide and show us the storage facilities and laboratory rooms of his center.

But first of all, Semenov gave a short lecture.

It all started in 1967,” he said. - It was then that a medical commission was created under the International Olympic Committee, which, in particular, was called upon to wage the war against doping. This commission was headed by IOC member Prince Alexandre de Merode from Belgium.

At that time, there were only two groups of drugs prohibited for use by athletes - psychostimulants and narcotic substances. The commission immediately attracted particular attention to track and field athletes and cyclists. And the first to undergo serious testing were the participants of the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The development of medical science forced the IOC Anti-Doping Commission to include a group of anabolic steroids in the list of prohibited drugs. This happened just before Montreal '76.

By the way, the history of the appearance of anabolic steroids in sports is very interesting - and instructive. Steroids were given to patients (among whom were athletes) in the postoperative period - to quickly restore strength and quickly gain muscle mass within 2 - 3 weeks. But they gave it, which is very important, in therapeutic doses. Unfortunately, this technique then migrated from medicine to sports. And the line was overcome that, as Paracelsus used to say, separates medicine from poison.

Also in 1976, the first cases of anabolic steroid use at the Olympics were recorded - 12 athletes, mostly weightlifters, were caught using nandrolone and methandrostenalone. It was a shock for everyone: no one suspected how seriously this disease had affected the sport.

True, it was still a long way off before the emergence of WADA (it, as is known, arose in the wake of the scandalous Tour de France '98, when almost half the peloton was disqualified after doping control).

The 1976 Olympics became a turning point in the protracted and endless war against doping, Professor Semenov emphasized. And then the Hewlett Packard company developed the first doping detection and identification systems, which were adopted by the IOC laboratories.

HOW ARE DOPING TESTS TAKEN?

As for the Moscow laboratory, it was created a little later - in 1971. And it received accreditation from the IOC (and, accordingly, the right to conduct analyzes of samples taken at major world competitions, including the Olympic Games) on July 7, 1980. And even then, computers came to the aid of anti-doping service employees.

True, the machines of that time resembled huge cabinet-like monsters with a gigantic database. Two years before the Moscow Olympics, all the necessary equipment was purchased directly from Hewlett Packard. And in the time remaining before the Games, the laboratory workers mastered the equipment and methods. At the same time, the volunteers who took the tests were employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, under whose leadership the laboratory was equipped.

And even then, regulations for taking tests from athletes were developed. A requirement for strict control over the samples taken was immediately introduced. Moreover, urine or blood is taken for analysis only in the presence of witnesses - doctors and representatives of the athlete. Containers are immediately sealed. Sample "B" is stored at a temperature no higher than -20 degrees, while sample "A" is immediately sent to the laboratory.

If the “A” sample gives a positive result, the commission sets a deadline for a control analysis. As a rule, 15 to 20 days after the results of the first analysis are announced.

Anti-doping services achieved today's precise work through trial and error.

After the ’76 Olympics,” Professor Semenov continued, “when the “A” doping tests of 12 athletes gave positive results, it was decided to turn to control samples, which were stored in refrigerators at a temperature of -20. And then an incident occurred. Before Montreal, all sample jars, sealed with lead seals, were stored in freezers. But the organizers of the 76 Games apparently considered it wasteful to use such an amount of lead and, as an experiment, sealed these jars with plastic seals, assigning each a code number.

And when, in the presence of representatives of countries whose athletes were accused of using prohibited drugs (and they certainly endorse the inviolability of containers with sample “B”), the freezers were opened, it turned out that the plastic seals could not withstand the low temperature and cracked. Of course, there were protests from athletes and their representatives. I had to reseal the jars, put them back in the freezer for 3 weeks, and then re-open them. Thank God, we managed to convince all interested parties that it was not the doctors’ fault that the seals were broken.

An important detail: today, any - even the smallest - violation of the regulations for taking samples or storing containers with blood or urine can lead to the invalidation of all results of the laboratory’s work.

According to Semenov, the main thing that disappeared from the work of anti-doping services along with the de Merode era was the presumption of innocence of an athlete whose sample tested positive for a prohibited substance. Then decisions were made only after hearing explanations from the athlete himself, his coach and doctor. And today WADA often replaces the IOC medical commission, taking over its functions.

WHO HAS ACCESS TO SAMPLES?

It turns out that only two people from the laboratory’s impressive staff have access to the doping sample storage area. Only Vitaly Alexandrovich himself and his assistant, who processes the samples delivered to the laboratory, have the keys to this holy of holies center. However, the director of the center opened a secret door to the SE correspondent.

Containers come to us from all over the world - sealed and with code numbers,” Semenov said. - None of the laboratory workers where the analysis will be carried out is present when samples are taken. This is done in order to ensure complete anonymity in work. So none of us knows whose sample he is currently analyzing. My assistant records all receipts in a special journal and makes sure to recode each container. You see in this journal a six-digit digital code assigned to the sample jar when the analysis was taken, but this four-digit code is the code assigned to the sample already in our laboratory. In this case, the protocol, which indicates the number and surname of the athlete, is sealed in the presence of witnesses and handed over to the chairman of the IOC medical commission.

The staff of our center, the professor continued, like other laboratories, deal only with recoded samples. Look, the journal notes which of the workers in my laboratory accepted the brought samples, on what date, from which competition, the date and signature of the person who accepted them. In addition to the sample, a protocol is also brought to the laboratory, which notes what the athlete took and for what reason in the last three days, what medications he used if he was sick at that time.

- Who brings samples from competitions?

A courier who also doesn’t know whose samples are in his bag. By the way, the bag is also sealed - and no one except the receiving specialist can open it. From the brought jar of samples, our workers take 5 microliters for the analysis of psychotropic substances, steroids, diuretics, drugs, beta blockers... In a word, the entire range of necessary analyzes is performed within these walls.

After the “B” sample is analyzed, which confirms the athlete’s purity or, conversely, his guilt, the container is transferred to a special refrigerator, where it is stored for some time until it is written off. Previously, we did not store clean samples at all, but at the end of last year, after the addition of tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) to the list of prohibited substances, WADA issued a circular requiring that even negative doping samples be stored for up to 8 years! Obviously, in anticipation that means of detecting new substances will be developed and retrospective analysis will have to be carried out. Can you imagine what size refrigerators laboratories will now need?!

- Did the Russian center receive samples from Salt Lake City?

But of course! And recently we received instructions from WADA to double-check them for THG content. As you know, these samples turned out to be clean. By the way, we keep all the jars with tests in these refrigerators. - Professor Semenov pointed to rows of freezing units along the wall. - The numbers glowing on the settings panel indicate the temperature mode. For example, for samples containing darbopoietin, the optimal temperature range is from -36 to -86. At slightly higher temperatures, hydrolysis is possible.

And also about the sensational THG. As Semenov said, this substance was first obtained and clinically studied back in 1963! Moreover, it was even recommended as a contraceptive. Its structure is close to nandrolone, but its properties are different. This resemblance to a criminal steroid is what put THG outlawed.

HOW DO LABORATORIES TAKE EXAMINATIONS?

The center's employees will also serve the Olympic Games in Athens. They received this right on December 24 last year, when a message came from WADA headquarters that the World Anti-Doping Agency had extended the accreditation of the Russian center for another year.

All 29 laboratories accredited by the IOC are certified for professional suitability annually. And passing this exam is not easy. After all, in order to meet the required level, the center’s employees must efficiently and quickly analyze a huge number of samples (according to Professor Semenov, up to 15 thousand per year!) to identify all known prohibited substances. In addition, every quarter WADA sends laboratories from 6 to 8 samples (the so-called professional test), which must be analyzed within 12 days and provide the agency with a complete picture of the “cocktail” contained in the control container.

As you understand, the equipment must be appropriate. And oh, how expensive it is.

Your correspondents were shown the most modern devices that are capable of detecting any doping that can be identified today in the blood or urine by the smallest particles. And all the equipment costs about two million dollars. Since work at the center is continuous, the equipment wears out and ages physically and mentally. According to WADA rules, the laboratory's arsenal must be updated at least once every three years.

HOW IS A DOPING TEST TESTED?

A very insignificant amount - 50 microliters - is taken from a sample jar for each type of analysis and inserted into the receiving device of a special apparatus. After the smart machine analyzes the biochemical composition of urine or blood, it displays a graphical picture of the substances contained in the sample. A Hewlett Packard gas chromatograph will tell you exactly what doping and in what quantity is contained in an athlete’s sample.

As Semenov reported, it is very difficult to identify darbopoietin. Here it takes three days to analyze the sample.

WHO SECURES THE SAMPLES?

In the hands of Professor Semenov and his colleagues is the fate of medals of all possible ranks, thousands and even millions of prize money. It was logical to ask how such an important facility is protected. It turns out that until 1992 the laboratory was guarded by a double police post. And today the police are on duty only on the first floor of the building, and the entrance to the third floor, where the center is located, and to individual blocks are guarded by reliable electronic locks, which can only be opened by employees who have the right to access a particular area of the laboratory. In addition, the entry and exit times of each employee to particularly important blocks of the center are recorded.

WHO ELSE DOES THE ANTI-DOPING CENTER HELP?

At the end of the excursion, Semenov said that laboratory workers often have to carry out instructions from criminologists.

Our center is always ready to help the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB in cases when their laboratories capitulate to unknown narcotic substances,” the professor boasted. - Already now we can identify negligibly small doses of concentration of any substance. The sensitivity of the center's instruments is amazingly high. Although there are no professional criminologists on the staff of our institution - only doctors, chemists, biochemists and analysts.

But what qualifications!

Rovshan ASKEROV

Testing of athletes

Every athlete must know the testing procedure. Testing happens competitive and non-competitive. Athletes are typically selected for competition testing based on competition results (for example, if the athlete took a podium place) or by lot. The selection of an athlete for out-of-competition testing may be targeted or by lot.

The athlete must remember that out-of-competition testing can be conducted anywhere at any time: at a training camp, at home or anywhere else!

Refusal to undergo the sampling procedure is a violation of anti-doping rules!

Athlete Notification

The doping control inspector (or chaperon - accompanying person) personally informs the athlete about the need to take a sample. The athlete must sign the notification form. Upon notification of the need to provide a sample, the athlete must immediately report to the doping control station. The Athlete is informed of the rights and responsibilities that he or she has during the doping control procedure: the Athlete has the right to have one representative (and, if necessary, an interpreter) present who may be with the Athlete at the Doping Control Station, but may not be present directly during the sample collection procedure itself. The Athlete must remain in the sight of the Doping Control Officer (or chaperone) from the time of notification until the end of the urine sample collection procedure. The Athlete also has the right to review the DCO's or chaperone's identification to ensure that he represents the appropriate (authorized) Anti-Doping Organization and is eligible to collect Samples. With the consent of the Doping Control Officer (Chaperone) and accompanied by him, the Athlete may collect his personal belongings, attend the awards ceremony, speak to the media, or receive medical attention in the event of an injury.

Registration at the doping control station

The athlete must provide an official photo identification document and provide the information necessary to complete the doping control report. If necessary, the doping control officer will inform the athlete about the rules for the sampling procedure. To speed up the sample collection process, the athlete is allowed to drink drinks.

We must remember that the athlete is responsible for everything that he eats and drinks, that is, for everything that enters his body.

The athlete may only use drinks that are sealed in original packaging. He should make sure that the drink has not been opened previously. Under no circumstances should you use drinks offered by third parties. In order for the sample to meet the required standard, it is advisable for the athlete to drink no more than 1.5 liters of liquid.

Selection of capacity

When the athlete is ready to take a sample, the doping control officer will provide the athlete with a choice of urine collection containers (urinal bags). The athlete must ensure that the container is clean, undamaged and individually sealed. The Athlete must remain within the field of view of the Doping Control Officer or chaperone of the same sex at all times, including during the collection of a urine sample, until the completion of the procedure. The Athlete should be aware that the Sample must also remain within the sight of the DCO (or chaperone) and the Athlete at all times until sealed.

Giving a urine sample

The sample is taken in a room specially designated for this purpose (usually in the toilet) under the supervision of a doping control officer (chaperon) of the same gender as the athlete. During the test, the athlete must expose the body from the middle

torso to the middle of the thigh, and roll up the sleeves to the elbows for unhindered observation of the process of passing urine. The required sample volume is at least 90 ml. If the volume of the sample provided is insufficient (less than 90 ml), the athlete must provide a new sample (until the specified volume is reached). An athlete's sample provided in insufficient volume

temporarily sealed. In some cases, the doping control officer may ask the athlete to provide a larger sample volume - up to 100-120 ml. This occurs when samples are taken to test for the presence of certain prohibited substances.

Selecting a sample kit

The athlete is offered a choice of several kits for storing and transporting a urine sample. Together with the Doping Control Officer, the Athlete must check that the kit is not damaged or has not been previously opened. After selecting a kit, the athlete must open it himself, remove all contents and, together with the Doping Control Officer, ensure that the sample bottles are clean and undamaged. Then he must make sure that the numbers on bottles “A” and “B”, as well as on the box, match.

Sample separation

The athlete must first pour 30 ml from the urine bag into container “B” (blue label) and then at least 60 ml into container “A” (red label). If container “A” is completely filled, the athlete adds the rest of the sample back into container “B”. The athlete should leave a small amount of urine in the urine bag so that the DCO can check the suitability of the sample for analysis.

Sample sealing

The athlete must remove the red rings from the necks of both bottles. After this, the athlete closes the bottles, rotating the seal cap all the way until the clicking stops. The Athlete must ensure that the vials do not leak or cannot be opened. The Doping Control Officer must ensure that the containers are properly closed. In the future, samples can only be opened without compromising their integrity in the laboratory using special equipment.

Specific Gravity Check

After the sample is sealed, the doping control officer checks the density of the remaining urine in the urine bag. For this purpose, indicator strips or a refractometer are used. If the urine density does not meet the standard, the athlete

must take additional samples until the required standard is met. The density must be at least 1.005 when using a refractometer and at least 1.010 when using test strips.

Filling out the doping control report

The doping control inspector enters all the necessary data into the protocol. The athlete must list medications, nutritional supplements, including vitamins and minerals that the athlete has taken during the last seven (7) days. Information about medications may be entered into the doping control report during registration at the doping control station. For analysis, the laboratory receives only the following information:

1. Number and characteristics (density and volume) of the sample

2. Sports discipline

3. Gender of the athlete

4. Information about medications

5. Consent to scientific research

The laboratory receives only sample code numbers on forms, so the laboratory has no information about who owns the sample.

Verification of doping control protocol data

and signatures

After the Doping Control Officer has completed the report, the Athlete and Athlete's Representative must ensure that the information entered is complete and accurate, making sure to check the code numbers on the container and the Doping Control Report. If an athlete has any complaints or comments about the procedure, he must indicate them in a special place in the doping control report. If the comments do not appear on the Doping Control Report, the Doping Control Officer must provide the Athlete with an additional report. If the Athlete has a Therapeutic Use Exemption for a Prohibited Substance, it must be shown or reported to the Doping Control Officer. The doping control protocol is signed by the following persons:

athlete
athlete's representative - if present
chaperone
urine sample collection witness
doping control officer
(the doping control officer can simultaneously be a chaperone and a witness to the collection of the urine sample).

Completing the sampling procedure

The athlete receives a copy of the completed doping control report, as well as any other reports that were used during the procedure. The Athlete should retain this copy(s) for at least 6 weeks in case an Adverse Analytical Finding is discovered.

Additional Information

The kit containing the athlete's sample is sent to a WADA-accredited laboratory. After the sample arrives at the laboratory, it is checked whether the samples were damaged during transportation, as well as whether the contents of the kits correspond to the descriptions in the attached documentation. The laboratory then analyzes sample "A" while keeping sample "B" sealed. In the event of an unfavorable test result, the athlete is informed by the organization that conducted the testing (usually the international federation or RUSADA). If the athlete is a minor or has a physical disability, the above procedure may be modified. The athlete should check with the doping control officer to determine what changes may be applied.

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