By Press Association
Published: 15:09 BST, 14 April 2019 | Updated: 15:10 BST, 14 April 2019
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Anti-doping experts could be using a cheaper, easier and quicker detection method that needs only a few drops of blood as early as next year's Summer Games in Tokyo.
Last month, the International Olympic Committee, World Anti-Doping Agency and several national anti-doping agencies set up a steering committee to develop dried blood spot testing in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing but with the potential to bring it in even sooner.
Already being piloted by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, DBS testing involves dropping a few spots of blood onto paper that can then be screened to detect performance-enhancing substances.
A new detection method could be in operation as early as next year's Summer Games in Tokyo
Unlike the current method of extracting blood from a vein, this could be done by pricking a finger, a far less painful and invasive procedure.
DBS samples would also be less expensive to collect, store and transport, and it is hoped that they could also be more stable, which would mean they could be stored for longer to enable re-analysis.
WADA is funding a number of DBS research projects and is optimistic that it will not be long before it can start to roll out a new and potentially game-changing weapon in the fight against drug cheats.
Speaking to Press Association
