London Olympics Drug-Testing Centre Unveiled

The London Olympics' ultra-high tech drug testing complex has been unveiled.

Funded by pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline and packed with the company's equipment, it's been created to help ensure that the 2012 Olympic Games is the safest event it can be and, according to its developers, it'll run a more active drug-testing programme than any previous Olympics has achieved.

During the London 2012 period, it'll be in non-stop operation and, in all, over 50 per cent of the thousands of athletes set to participate will be tested, along with every single medal winner.

A 1,000-strong collection force will obtain and process the Olympic athletes' testing samples but there'll be a core collection of 150 scientists - many of them in the UK especially for the event - charged with analysing them.

London Olympics Drug-Testing

"We cannot absolutely guarantee that these will be a drug-free games", Hugh Robertson - the UK Minister for Sport and Olympics - told journalists at the London Olympics drug-testing centre's official opening. He added, however: "But we can guarantee that we have got the very best system possible to try and catch anybody who even thinks of cheating."

The UK's world-class Olympics drug-testing site has already set the parameters within which it will operate. With one exception, it'll take no more than 48 hours to produce a positive drug result and half that time for a negative result.

London 2012 Drug-Testing Centre

"Today is an important milestone in the countdown to the Games", the chief executive of London 2012, Paul Deighton, commented in the official LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) 2012 drug-testing centre press release.

He continued: "Working with one of the world's best pharmaceutical companies and one of the country's leading universities we have been able to create a facility to successfully and efficiently process 6,250 tests during the Games which has never been done before. As we unveil the anti-doping lab we recognise the importance of a robust testing system and continue to show that London is ready to stage a successful Games."

According to the press release, the drug-testing centre is equivalent in size to seven tennis courts and will handle an estimated 6,250 samples - the greatest amount ever processed in connection with the Olympics.

Image copyright LOCOG

See also:

British Troops in London Olympic Security Role