The first results of the anti-doping controls at the Paris Olympics were announced this Thursday by the International Testing Agency (ITA), responsible for the anti-doping program during the Games. Nearly 39% of the athletes were tested during the Paris Olympics and five positive cases detected at this stage (an Iranian judoka, a Nigerian boxer, etc.), the International Testing Agency (ITA), responsible for the anti-doping program during the Games, indicated on Thursday.
A total of 6,130 samples (urine, blood, dried blood) were taken from 4,770 tests on 4,150 athletes. “This is the largest proportion of athletes ever tested,” the ITA said in a statement. These tests took place between the opening of the Olympic Village in mid-July and the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games on August 11.
The ITA has carried out targeted tests, with almost two-thirds taking place during the competition and the rest outside. The United States, France, China, Australia and Great Britain are among the countries that have been tested the most.
Before the Games, 90% of athletes tested
A testing program several weeks before the Olympics was conducted, with 90% of the approximately 10,000 participants in the Paris Olympics being tested at least once. During this period, around forty anti-doping rule violations were noted. By comparison, six cases of doping were detected during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Created in 2018 and partly funded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the ITA has been planning, organizing and managing the results of doping controls since the Tokyo Games. It also handles the anti-doping program of other sports competitions including the Tour de France.