Introduction to China Doping Control Center

China has established and gradually perfected a unified anti-doping administrative system, providing the work of anti-doping with a forceful organizational support .The Chinese government department in charge of physical culture and sports leads, coordinates and supervises the work; the Chinese Olympic Committee organizes moves and implements the plans; the national sports associations take part in the moves and each takes charge of its field. They constitute the basic frame of China's present anti-doping administrative system.



The main responsibilities of the State Sport General Administration include: formulating major principles, policies and measures for the anti-doping work throughout the nation according to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Physical Culture and Sports; reviewing and approving the long-term Program and annual plans for nation-wide anti-doping work carried out by all the provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, the People's Liberation Army sport association and various national sports associations.



The Chinese Olympic Committee officially set up its Anti-Doping Commission in July 1992. The main responsibilities of the anti-Doping Commission are: formulating the specific policy and measure for the national anti-doping work according to the relevant regulations of the State Sport General Administration and International Federations; making the national doping control program and work plan; implementing the national doping control program; organizing the publicity, education research and international cooperation in the anti-doping field; guiding coordinating and monitoring the anti-doping work of the national sports associations.



The Commission has an Administrative Office and a Testing Section. The Administrative Office is responsible for the harmonization and policy research. The Testing Section is responsible for carrying out the doping control tests and developing anti-doping education project.



The China Doping Control Center (hereafter referred as CDCC), which was set up in 1989 has pass the IOC re-accreditiation for 12 years consecutively. CDCC is responsible for the urine sample analysis and the research of detecting methods.



China Doping Control Center (CDCC) is located in the National Olympic Sport Center, only a few minutes walking to the main stadium, the swimming stadium and the badminton stadium, 1 kilometers to the southeast of the under-planning Olympic Village. With such convenient traffic privilege, it takes only 5 minutes by driving from the Olympic village to CDCC.



CDCC passed the IOC accreditation examination first time in1989 and up to 2000 it has been the only testing laboratory, which has been reaccredited consecutively for 12 years in Asia. In November 2000 CDCC received the certificate of ISO/IEC Guide 25 from the China National Accreditation Committee for Laboratory. It's said that 11 IOC-accredited laboratories received a warning for not finishing the certificate of ISO/IEC Guide 25 and were required to complete the work before May 1, 2001. Otherwise, they would face the punishment of dephasement. Facts proved that CDCC had been always satisfied requirements of the IOC regarding the doping test. Recently, CDCC has signed a new contract with the world Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), agreeing to undertake out-of-competition sample analysis for the Agency.



CDCC has always attached great importance to scientific research in view of improving the test ability of the laboratory. It also developed a number of international research cooperation programs in order to keep up with the latest development of doping test in the world. CDCC received the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 1992. Almost every year CDCC will carry out some international cooperation projects. The published research papers were well accepted by the science circle. It cooperated with the Spanish laboratory making a survey on the T/E ratio distribution and reaction to the use of testosterone between Asian and European people. In the cooperation with the Norwegian laboratory a research study on the variation of 19-non-androsterone of Asian and European female athletes during the menstruation was carried out, which further confirm the criteria of androsterone positive set by the IOC. In the lead up to the Sydney Olympic Games, CDCC collaborated with the Australia Sport Drug Testing Laboratory on the EPO research project with the conduction of blood testing and received broad appraisement. Ms.Hon.Jackie Kelly, Australian Minister for Sport and Tourism, forwarded a letter to CDCC on behalf of the Australian Government, extending congratulations and high appreciation for its part in the research project.



There are totally 16 research staff at CDCC, most of them obtain doctor or master degree and graduated from the Chemistry Department of the Beijing University and the Pharmacy Department of the Being University of Medical Science. The majority has more than 5 years experience in doping test. According to the classes of prohibited substances set in the Olympic Movement Anti-Doping Code, the work staff are divided into 5 groups headed by an experienced research fellow with good education background. CDCC has published several papers about doping test on various major academic publications and conferences.



Experts at CDCC hole positions at various major sport organizations and academic bodies. Dr. Yang Tianle, the former director general of the National Research Institute of Sports Medicine has been a member of the IOCMC since 1988 and Asian Olympic Council Medical Committee (AOCMC). Recently he was elected as first Vice President of China Sports Science Society, President of China Sports Medicine Association. Professor Zhang Changjiu, now director general of the Research Institute and former manager of CDCC is acting as Chairman of Doping Commission, Asian Federation of Sports Medicine (AFSM) and Vice-Chairman of Organic Analysis Chemistry Association of China Chemistry Society. Dr. Wu Moutian, manager of CDCC now is a member of IOCMC and Doping Review Board of FINA. Since the Albertvil Winter Olympic Games, Dr. Yang Tianle has been taking part in the doping control supervision work for IOCMC for 6 Summer and Winter Olympic Games. CDCC has undertaken the doping test for various international comprehensive sport events such as the 11th Beijing Asian Games, the 3rd Harbin Asian Winter Games and 1st Shanghai East Asian Games. So in terms of doping test and the handling of positive cases in accordance with relevant rules of IOC, CDCC has obtained adequate and rich experience.



At present CDCC can test 3500 athletes urine samples and about 1200 urine samples of the volunteers for the nutritional products from the National Health Ministry every year. The other key items on the agenda include the IOC annual re-accreditation and proficiency examination and the quality control from sports organizations home and abroad. All the routine test instruments including HRMS and IRMS have been installed at CDCC. All the tests will be carried out strictly according to the requirements of IOCMC and ISO/IEC Guide 25. Undoubtedly the staff and equipment at present stage are far from adequate for undertaking the great test burden during the Olympic Games. But if Beijing succeeded in the bidding for the 2008 Olympic Games, we are determined to organize the doping test with better performance than Sydney did. Since we all know that science and technology are developing so rapidly today. For example, the application of HRMS increased the test sensitivity by 10 times. The original concentration limit is 10ng/ml and now the value is lowered to below 2ng/ml. With IRMS we can determine the reasons for high endogenous steroid concentration or ratio directly, that is to say to distinguish whether it's endogenously produced or it dues to the use of endogenous products. Although the IOCMC has confirmed the HRMS and IRMS as official detecting methods, so far not every IOC-accredited laboratory has mastered the technology for the two instruments.



Under the current condition CDCC can handle 60 urine samples per day. During the important sport events reporting of negative cases within 24 hours and positive cases within 48 hours and B sample analysis can be basically guaranteed. Researchers at CDCC are capable of attending hearings at the invitation to provide scientific evidence home and abroad.



The Testing Section of Chinese Olympic Committee Anti-Doping Commission was set up in 1995 with the responsibility for drafting and implementing the National Doping Control Program including in and out-of competition test. So far the Testing Section has undertaken the doping control for many comprehensive national and inter-national sports events. From the statistics in the following Table, we can see the Testing Section is an effective doping control organization with rich experience. There are 4 full-time work staff at the section and 91 part-time Doping Control Officers (DCOs). All the DCOs must undergo professional training and performance assessment every year and divided into three categories according to their ability and experience.

Besides this, the Testing Section is also responsible for the anti-doping education and publicity work especially the education toward the athletes, coaches and team doctors. In recent years many anti-doping education manual books and brochures were compiled and published and training courses organized. The Chinese Olympic Committee Anti-Doping Commission has signed Memorandum of Understanding in anti-doping field and bilateral test agreements with Norway, Australia and Sweden. Currently a new cooperation project with Norway was being with the requirements of the International Standard for Doping Control (ISDC) and the ISO 9001:2000 standard.