Reed NewsReed News

Swedish Olympic Athletes Under-Tested Before Winter Games

SportsSports
Key Points
  • Only 30% of Swedish Olympic athletes met ITA testing recommendations before the Winter Olympics.
  • Antidoping Sverige cites NHL player restrictions and budget constraints as key factors.
  • Sports Minister calls for a review, but specific consequences remain unclear.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) presented statistics on doping tests before the Winter Olympics, showing that only 30% of Swedish Olympic athletes were tested as many times as the ITA recommended in the six months before the Olympics. The ITA's recommended number of tests varies between one and six, based on their risk assessment. Only New Zealand (29%) and the Czech Republic (25%) had a lower proportion of athletes tested according to the recommendations.

64% of Swedish Olympic athletes were tested at least once but not as many times as recommended, and 6% were not tested at all. Antidoping Sverige, responsible for the testing, has not taken part in the ITA's exact data. ' Antidoping Sverige has had to prioritize carefully as their budget has been unchanged for four years.

The number of tests we recommend varies between one and six, and is based on our risk assessment (physiological/sports and other assessments).

Marta Nawrocka, ITA's communications chief

That sounds strange, I think.

Sebastian Samuelsson, Biathlete
Tags
People & Organizations