Turkey vows to lead fight against doping

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey will lead to fight against doping or the use of banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs in sports, Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu, said on Saturday.

"Turkey will be a brand-name in the anti-doping field," he said.

While visiting Hacettepe University's Doping Control Center in capital Ankara, the minister hoped the center to play an important role in Central Asian and Middle East regions.

He said the Sports Ministry in Turkey has launched an important drive against doping.

He added that anti-doping laboratories have essential role play in the fight against this menace globally.

"Fight against doping in sports is an issue, which we pay great importance in our country. We want sport to be clean. As a government we have used every means available till now and we will work very hard in the future,” he said.

The minister also said the government will continue to pursue the policy of ‘zero tolerance' towards duping in order to ensure philosophy of ‘clean sports'.

Kasapoglu stated that the government will cooperate with academics and experts in this fight.

He added that he believes both awareness and the Turkish ministry's works in this field will make them a brand in the fight against doping in the globe.

In May 2015, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has reapproved the accreditation of Turkey's anti-doping laboratory in the Turkish capital of Ankara, which was revoked in 2011.

WADA had revoked the accreditation of the laboratory due to non-compliance.

Previously, it was also suspended for three months in March 2009.

WADA is a non-profit international independent organization launched in 1999 to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against doping in sports in all its forms.

The Canada-based agency is composed and funded equally by the sports movement and governments of the world. Its key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code – the first document harmonizing regulations regarding anti-doping in all sports and all countries.