The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the National Football League (NFL) and the University of Utah announced Monday that they have formed a new drug testing laboratory at the University of Utah. The laboratory will conduct state-of-the-art research into the use of and detection of prohibited and performance-enhancing substances.
The new Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) will be an independent testing laboratory located at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. SMRTL has contracted with the University of Utah’s highly respected Center for Human Toxicology, which is renowned for its forensic analytical toxicology expertise.
The initial funding for the laboratory will be provided by the NFL and USADA, as well as through a grant provided by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) as a legacy of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
It is expected that SMRTL will begin research and testing operations this year. Certifications from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are expected to be obtained after SMTRL meets the stringent standard of those organizations.
USADA Comments from Terry Madden, USADA Chief Executive Officer
“USADA appreciates our partnership with the NFL, University of Utah and the USOC in the development of the laboratory, which will be an important resource in our efforts to eliminate doping in sport. This laboratory demonstrates the strong anti-doping efforts in the United States, and further enhances the development of our research program. We look forward to having the new laboratory complement the world-class facility at UCLA. Given the plans for expanded testing, it is important to re-establish a second World Anti-Doping Agency accredited lab in the United States.”
NFL Comments from Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner
“The elimination of dangerous performance-enhancing substances from sports requires intensive state-of-the-art research on an ongoing basis. New challenges are constantly being presented and must be aggressively addressed by all of us in professional and amateur sports. The establishment of this new lab in partnership with USADA is an important step in this process.”
Comments from John Mauger, Ph.D, Dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center
“This partnership allows the outstanding faculty in the University of Utah’s College of Pharmacy’s Center for Human Toxicology (CHT) to focus and expand their efforts in research and development related to sports medicine testing. The SMRTL laboratory will provide a venue for the growth of the CHT’s core missions, education and research, while offering a vital service to the sports medicine industry.”
Comments from USOC Chief of Sport Performance Jim Scherr
“The United States Olympic Committee is extremely pleased that American athletes will continue to benefit as a result of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the efforts of the people of Salt Lake City. This new laboratory will play an important role in our ongoing efforts to eradicate doping in sport, and along with the competition venues that are also a legacy of the Salt Lake City Games, will positively impact our athletes well into the future. This may be the first time that such a Games legacy directed toward the fight against doping has been created by an organizing committee and a national Olympic committee and we hope that Olympic Games proceeds in the future will be invested, in part, toward these ends, which bolster the integrity of Olympic sports generally.”
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