WADA partially suspends Brazil's only accredited anti-doping lab

Jan 20, 2012, 17:04 GMT

Rio de Janeiro - Ladetec, the only Brazilian laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), has been partially suspended for six months, a hard blow as Brazil prepares to host the 2016 Olympics.

The suspension is 'specifically with regards to conducting isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS)' testing on samples,' which helps detect anabolic steroids and synthetic testosterone, WADA said in a statement. It will not prevent the lab from carrying out other tests.

The penalty was made public months after Ladetec said it had found the steroid Androstanediol in the urine sample contributed by beach volleyball player Pedro Solberg.

Solberg stressed he had not taken banned substances and got the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to repeat the test at a German lab which did not confirm doping.

Ladetec boss Francisco Radler declined to comment on the WADA decision.

Eduardo de Rose, Brazil's representative at WADA and head of the medical commission at the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), said the suspension was 'normal.'

'It is important to understand that not all labs are proficient in every technique. This is something normal that can happen to laboratories. The problem would have been if (Ladetec's) accreditation had been revoked,' he said.