Rally drivers at the 2019 World Rally Championships will undergo doping tests for the first at the next Friday’s championships in Nairobi.
The event will have doping rooms as ‘drivers and officials’ of the Africa Rally Championship round will be subjected to drug testing as Kenya hopes to convince world governing body, the FIA to restore Safari to the World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar from next year.
“For the drivers, the rules will be followed to the letter,’ WRC Candidate Event Deputy Clerk of Course George Mwangi underscored.
“It is your personal duty to ensure that no Prohibited Substance enters your body. You are responsible for any Prohibited Substance detected in your doping control sample – regardless of whether or not you knowingly ingested, or otherwise used, this Prohibited Substance,” the manual by FIA stated.
The FIA rules states that a driver who will be caught doping during the contest will lose points and prizes (both individual and possibly team results).
In addition, the culprit will be slapped with a four year ban or a lifetime suspension or in some cases from all Motorsport activities including training and participation.
For the officials, doctors will be going for substances that dull the nerves including alcoholic beverages.
“ It will be in- and- out -of -competition. One will be picked from the crowd and chaperoned to doping center where a doctor will first use the alcoblow and if need demand more samples from officials,” Mwangi highlighted.
“The FIA is a member of World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) and competitors are no exception. The chaperone will be required to keep the person under observation (visual contact) at all times following notification until the end of collection of the sample,” Mwangi noted.
Intravenous infusions and injections are Prohibited Methods in the contest if they exceed 100ml per 12 hour period, unless legitimately received in the course of hospital treatments, surgical procedures or clinical diagnostic investigations.
Source: Sportpesanews.com