Most Common Type of Dope Tests & Dope Testing

Dope, as the name well suggests, refers to the process wherein an athlete is found guilty of administering banned substances which may be used to enhance his/her performance. While most banned substances are considered illegal, there are some which may be allowed if in case the athlete is administering these for therapeutic purposes. While there are various kinds of banned substances which have been marked as illegal and are not to be used, the ways in which they are tested can be a plenty and need to be implemented in a systematic manner.

The In Competition testing

The first category of testing is one which is done in accordance to the event. Out here, the event organizer is considered the man in charge of the tests and the tests are carried out in accordance to the international standards. Event organizers such as the International Olympic Committee, The World Cup and the Tour De France publicize the names of the substances which are supposed to be banned and distribute them to the sporting athletes well before the games are about to begin.

The Number And Times Of Tests

These tests are conducted well before the games are about to begin and the consequences are also clarified well before the samples are collected. Likewise, random testing is also carried out in between the competitions so as to ascertain whether an athlete has administered a banned substance after the initial tests have been completed. It has also been noticed that at times, dope tests are also conducted upon the willing athletes regardless of the initial as well as the random testing procedures. If in case the competition involves an entire team, then the dope tests are conducted upon each and every participant regardless of the number of tests already conducted. This is done so as to check whether the winning team has administered a banned substance before the event or not.

Out Of Competition Testing

The second type of testing is termed out of competition testing. With regards to this rule, athletes who are not competing in international competitions are targeted and subjected to the prescribed doping procedures. The tests are done to simply analyze and ascertain whether the training athletes are complying with the predetermined procedures or not. In the case of state and national level competitions, doping tests are carried out in random and the samples sent to various labs for testing. The tests are them compared with the set standards and corrective action taken on the basis of these results.

The Benefits Of Out Of Competition Testing

These out of competition testing are conducted so as to ensure that the performing athletes are adhering to the set standards and that they are not indulging in any kind of malpractices. The local organizations which organize these tests are also linked to the international testing committees and hence there is a solid link between the national as well as international event organizers. If the dope tests conducted by the national organizers are fair and even, the overall credibility of the national organization is enhanced and vice versa.