New procedures will make dope testing easier for Olympics: Scientists
Scientists responsible for detecting dope in the blood stream of athletes taking part in the London 2012 Olympic Games have recently announced a new line of tests that will be conducted making it very hard for individuals who have taken drugs to get through
unnoticed.
Professor David Cowan of the King’s College London made it known in the following statements, while referring to the athletes who plan to take drugs to enhance their performance in the Games: "Don't come to London. We want to get the message out there that
science is detecting cheats."
The methods that the scientists have come up with make use of the bone and muscle to identify the levels of dope and other illegal chemicals present in the athlete’s body. This is because the usage of dope increases the quantity of oxygen present in the
body of a person than normal levels and can be detected in the muscles.
Most specifically, scientists have clearly mentioned that autologous blood transfusions will not go unnoticed this time around at the London 2012 Olympics Games. These transfusions involve giving the athletes red cells that have the ability to carry an increased
amount of oxygen which has the direct effect of making the muscles work longer and more efficiently. It will be the first time that the athletes would be tested for this method.
Scientists may also carry out target testing if they deem a case deserve that sort of response.
Nicola Newman, belonging to UK Anti-Doping, made the following statements about the matter: “That's a relatively new thing in the UK. It's either information our people have provided, or it's gleaned from a number of sources that might lead us to suspect
that something's not quite as it should be. Then we can arrange for targeted testing."
The scientists will be equipped with the latest and the most professional equipment in order to carry out their testing activities. GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company, will be facilitating the scientists by providing them with laboratories as well
as other needed equipment that will make the testing of more than 6000 samples from the participating athletes efficient as well as accurate.
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