Havana lab to conduct tests of Mexican athletes set to participate in Tokyo Olympics
- Written by Redacción ¡ahora!
- Published in Sports
- Hits: 4845
Photo: Ricardo López HeviaThe anti-doping laboratory in Havana will carry out tests of Mexican athletes who have qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the country’s National Commission of Physical Culture and Sports (Conade) announced.
Cuba has one of two Latin American facilities accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Olympic Committee to test athletes, the other is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Inaugurated on February 13, 2001, by the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, the facility features a modern design and high-tech equipment to combat doping.
According to Conade, the closure of Mexico's anti-doping lab, as a result of the high cost of operation - 40 million pesos annually, about two million dollars - led authorities to choose the Havana lab to test the Olympic athletes.
The Mexican government announced the proposed closing of the institution last summer, as part of an austerity effort, a measure implemented two weeks ago and confirmed by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
