Bad timing. Less than 150 days before the Paris 2024 Games, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announces that it has suspended the accreditation of the doping control laboratory in Bloemfontein, South Africa, for a period of up to six months. The establishment had already been in the eye of the storm since September 2023, with WADA having imposed a restriction on it for a very specific analysis method. But last month, the advisory group of laboratory experts recommended going significantly further by issuing a broader suspension. Reason given: a set of non-compliances with the International Standard for Laboratories (SIL). Coming into force on March 1, the suspension prohibits the Bloemfontein laboratory from carrying out any anti-doping activities, including the analysis of urine and blood samples. He can barely continue to carry out analyzes linked to the hematological module of the athlete's biological passport (PBA).
