Sports Minister launches First Reference Material synthesized by NDTL and NIPER, Guwahati, to strengthen anti-doping measures 

Rakesh Thapliyal

New Delhi: Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Kiren Rijiju launched a breakthrough Reference Material for use in chemical testing in the field of anti-doping synthesized by collaborative efforts of  National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) and National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Guwahati.

This Reference Material (RM), has been identified by NDTL as one of the rarely available RMs globally and would be used to strengthen anti-doping measures in all World Anti Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratories.  The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NDTL and NIPER Guwahati was signed in August 2020 which proposes to synthesize 20 rarely available Reference Materials (RMs) during a period of 3 years.    These RMs are used essentially during dope testing for quality control purposes and therefore their availability remains critical in sports dope testing, globally.

The availability of these RMs would help the anti-doping laboratories to  strengthen their testing capacity.  This will  help in the greater cause of promoting fair play in sports.

“This is a special moment for all of us. The substance is small but the impact is big. Sportsmanship means clean sport and no cheating. I congratulate all the scientists  in NDTL and NIPER-G for producing one of the 20 Reference Materials,” said Kiren Rijiju.

It has also been decided to distribute 5 mg of this indigenously developed RM to all the WADA-accredited dope testing laboratories all around the world free of cost for the first occasion. This will not only strengthen India’s resolve to fight the menace of doping but also instill a sense of unity among all. Expressing his pride, Rijiju added, “It is a great thing to have the product distributed for free. Lots of goodwill will be generated. We have a moral authority and rightful place in all the WADA labs and we are proud of what we are doing in line with our tradition of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ – the whole world is our family.”

 NDTL has taken several initiatives towards further strengthening its research activities in collaboration with premier scientific institutes in India and also initiated the collaborations with other WADA accredited laboratories in Cologne, Tokyo and Rome and have exchanged thought and ideas for the furtherance of the anti-doping efforts.

Rijiju also released the Newsletter of NDTL during the event.