UAE | General
Lab set up to bolster fight against doping
The UAE is to set up a laboratory to test athletes for illegal performance-enhancing drugs, known as doping, and will start testing blood and urine samples from October this year.
- By Mariam M. Al Serkal and Nina Muslim, Staff Reporters
- Published: 23:39 January 29, 2008
Dubai: The UAE is to set up a laboratory to test athletes for illegal performance-enhancing drugs, known as doping, and will start testing blood and urine samples from October this year.
The Gulf Anti-doping and Monitoring Enterprise (GAME), to be located at Dubiotech, is likely to cost Dh25-35 million. Officials from the UAE sports ministry, the UAE National Olympic Committee and Dubiotech signed a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of GAME at the Arab Health Exhibition in Dubai.
Abdul Rahman Al Owais, UAE Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, said the laboratory was important if the UAE planned to participate in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
"The new laboratory is crucial because it will not only serve athletes in the UAE but in other Gulf countries as well. The only laboratory in the Arab world is in Tunisia, and the next closest is in Malaysia," he said.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) laboratory at Dubiotech will provide testing for erythropoietin (EPO), and human growth hormone, common doping agents.
Dr Abdul Qader Al Khayyat, executive director of Dubiotech, said work has already begun on the multi-million dirham laboratory, to be housed in the Nucleotide Complex.
"By October we will start testing blood and urine samples from athletes," he said.
The UAE, which is a member of the World Anti-Doping Code, is expected to ratify a law in the next few months which will implement an updated code with greater penalties.
Share this article
Popular in UAE
-
Your pictures
Readers' pictures
The best reader pictures from around the UAE this week
Latest news
- Ministry opens hotline to report violators
- First well in relief project to honour scientist
- Help me find my precious cat
- AG expresses confidence in public prosecution's skills
- National ID needed for Interior Ministry services
- Meet to discuss ways to secure energy supplies
- Deyaar case: Expert asked to submit detailed report i
- Institute adopts best judicial practices
- Dubai hospital wins Spain architecture festival award
- Masters in construction law to address sector's concerns
- Private schools form lobby group
- New council to strike demographic balance
- Green moves make desalting plant less damaging
- Technology can negatively affect girls: forum
- Dubai-based British athlete attempts to swim around Palm in record bid
Community Reports
-
Help me find my precious cat
Raif, my cute eight-month-old ‘fur ball', went missing in Abu Dhabi's Al Bateen area last month
-
Pavement parking irks pedestrians
Gulf News reader calls on authorities to step in and stop car owners from invading pathways meant for safe walking
-
Faded parking lines pose a problem
Motorists could be fined for parking incorrectly even though they can hardly see the boundaries in the designated areas
-
School buses block residential parking
Commercial vehicles taking up free parking facilities in Al Wuheida, inconveniencing residents in surrounding villas
