NDTL regains the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accreditation

• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has restored the accreditation of the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), which was suspended in 2019 because of its failure to comply with global standards.
• The NDTL is based in the national capital and can resume testing with immediate effect.

WADA Suspension

• India is currently third in the WADA’s global list of dope violators, led by Russia.
• The suspension of the NDTL had prohibited it from carrying out any anti-doping activities, including all analysis of urine and blood samples.
• The WADA first suspended NDTL in August 2019 for a period of six months and extended the de-recognition period after its inspections showed that non-conformities existed.
• During the suspension period, urine samples collected by NADA were being sent primarily to the WADA-accredited lab in Doha.
• The process had made the anti-doping programme very expensive for the country because of the significant cost involved in sending samples abroad.
• Because of the suspension, NDTL could not carry out any testing before Tokyo Olympics in this year.

National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL)

• It is a premier analytical testing & research organization established as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
• It is the only laboratory in the country responsible for human sports dope testing. It is headed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dr. Puran Lal Sahu is the Scientific Director of NDTL.
• It is accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories, NABL (ISO/IEC 17025:2017) for human dope testing of urine & blood samples from human sports.
• NDTL is one of the 29 WADA accredited laboratories in the world.
• It is one of the modern & state of the art laboratory in the country equipped with latest analytical instrumentation.
• The NDTL in India was established in 2008 with an aim to get permanently accredited by International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Anti Doping Agency to do the testing for the banned drugs in human sports.

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

• It is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports.
• The agency's key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities, and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code, whose provisions are enforced by the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sport.
• The aims of the Council of Europe Anti-Doping Convention and the United States Anti-Doping Agency are also closely aligned with those of WADA.
• The World Anti-Doping Agency is a foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
• It was set up on 10 November 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a result of what was called the ""Declaration of Lausanne"", to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against drugs in sports.
• Since 2002, the organization's headquarters have been located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.