Good news for the Indian Olympic movement. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced, a few hours before the Christmas break, that it had approved the reinstatement of the accreditation of the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) in New Delhi. This reinstatement, with immediate effect, allows the Indian establishment to resume its anti-doping activities, including urine and blood tests. An initial six-month suspension was imposed on the New Delhi laboratory in August 2019, due to non-compliance with the SIL (International Standard for Laboratories) noted during an on-site visit by WADA. In February 2020, when the six-month suspension period expired, remaining non-compliances resulted in a six-month suspension extension, which began on July 17, 2020. This second suspension was to remain in effect until that the laboratory has satisfactorily met WADA's requirements. But it was extended again by six months in January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which did not allow WADA to carry out an on-site laboratory assessment. In the absence of a visit to India, the WADA Laboratory Expert Advisory Group considered that the only option was a remote assessment. It was postponed to September 2021, ultimately leading to a full recovery of the New Delhi laboratory.
