Vancouver’s High Priced Anti-Doping Lab

Image details: Olympics Day 16 – Closing Ceremony served by picapp.com

Olympic host city, Vancouver, is taking their anti-doping tactics very seriously.  They had already estimated the costs of the lab for the upcoming 2010 Winter Games but, ultimately, it will cost double the anticipated amount.  The facility, which will be inside of the speed-skating venue in Richmond, B.C., will cost $5 million to build in addition to the $4.1 million organizers had already budgeted to run the program.  The main reason for the cost is that they have chosen to create a building for the lab rather than use an existing space.

“I believe that everybody can be confident that you can’t stop people from taking drugs, but if you come to Vancouver, we’re likely to find you,” said Richard Pound, the former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency and a member of the board of directors for Vancouver’s organizing committee.

I certainly hope Mr. Pound is correct because this really is an exorbitant amount of money but I’m reluctant to put much stock into what he says.  He famously claimed that drug testing in the National Hockey League was “full of holes” and suggested that one-third hockey players were guilty of doping.  Not only did he get attacked for his comments, he also had to admit that he had no proof to substantiate his claims…