On Wednesday night, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) provided recommendations for anti-doping organizations concerning the use of the new generation “BEREG-KIT Geneva” security bottles used in urine sample collection. Some of these new generation bottles have been shown to be susceptible to manual opening, possibly without evidence of tampering. These are sample collection bottles that we began using late in December 2017.
USADA is following WADA’s recommended measures to address these issues, to ensure the integrity of the doping control process and continue to safeguard clean athletes worldwide.
For the immediate future, we will continue to use the new generation “BEREG-Kit Geneva,” with additional security features in place, until a new stock of different kits can be obtained. We understand Berlinger Special AG, the manufacturers of the BEREG-Kit Geneva, will begin production immediately of the 2016 “BEREG KIT” model that has not reported issues in handling or security. For the 2018 Winter Games, the earlier 2016 BEREG-KIT model will be used in all sample collections by the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG).
Since 2016, USADA’s procedures have exceeded the WADA recommended protocol for transporting samples, specifically with the inclusion of a tamper-evident tape, applied around the sample box as the final step in our collection process. Every sample collected domestically will continue to feature this tamper-resistant tape, in order to continue to have an added layer of confidence in the collection process.
Additional measures to ensure sample security have been implemented to maintain the integrity of the doping control process, including specific measures for WADA-accredited laboratories to reconfirm the integrity of the tamper-evident tape and individual bottles upon receipt.
USADA is fully committed to protecting the rights of clean athletes, preserving the integrity of clean sport, and ensuring your confidence in our collection process. Also, we will continue to do everything in our power to advance technology and innovations in anti-doping programs for you.
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