Qatar pledges $1 million to Anti-Doping Research Fund

MUMBAI: Qatar has given a shot-in-the-arm to the fight against doping in sports by contributing $1 million to the Anti-Doping Research Fund announced by the International Olympic Committee ( IOC).

Qatar's contribution is part of a global government initiative to match the IOC's pledge to invest $10 million in innovative anti-doping research, said the World Anti-Doping Agency in a media release from Montreal, Canada.

"The decision by the Government of Qatar to contribute to the fund will significantly help the IOC and WADA in their efforts to fund innovative athlete-centred anti-doping research, which will explore new techniques for the detection of prohibited substances and methods," said WADA.

"Qatar is a nation passionate about sport, and in pledging to commit to anti-doping research, they have signalled their intent to prioritise the rights of clean athletes worldwide," said WADA President, Sir Craig Reedie.

"Qatar is first and foremost a sporting nation. We are absolutely committed to upholding the fundamental values of sport and fighting against doping to ensure a clean future of sport in which drug use plays no part. It is an honour to pledge our support to the Anti-Doping Research Fund," said Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Qatar.

"Qatar will continue to work hard to carry out testing, education and research for doping in sport through our state-of-the-art Anti-Doping Laboratory Qatar, the first specialised laboratory of its kind in the Middle East, and through our work with WADA and with the IOC," he added.

The countries that have already financially committed to the fund are Qatar, New Zealand, Korea, Turkey, China, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.