Indonesia to build anti-doping laboratory in sports
Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia’s Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali has
revealed the ministry’s plan to build a national laboratory to test for doping
in sports next year.
Indonesia is
planning to increase the budget for its Anti-Doping Agency (LADI) up to 500
percent in 2021 to increase drug testing as well as to build an anti-doping
lab, he said during a virtual meeting with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
president Witold Banka on October 7.
The commitment
is a part of the country’s determination to host the 2032 Olympics, he said.
He noted that
Indonesia usually sent test samples overseas, either to India, Qatar or
Thailand, an expensive venture that led to limited drug testing for Indonesian
athletes.
With the
presence of an anti-doping laboratory in Indonesia, Zainuddin hoped the number
of drug tests will increase significantly.
Also present
at the meeting was LADI chairman Zaini Khadafi Saragih, who said that there was
a lack of anti-doping laboratories in Asia. There are around 30 laboratories in
the world, only two of which are in Asia, namely in Penang, Malaysia and
Bangkok, Thailand, he said.
WADA President Witold Banka, for his
part, said that the WADA was encouraging both the private and public sectors to
focus on anti-doping campaigns, adding that he is looking forward to the good
cooperation with Indonesia./.