The French anti-doping lab in Paris was provisionally suspended by WADA after "contaminated samples" were found, according to L'ÉQUIPE. WADA said that the lab, which processed around 13,500 samples in '16, had "problems related to analysis" that were detected by the lab itself. The problem stems from a batch of samples taken from bodybuilders "who had taken steroids." The concentration of steroids in certain samples was such that "a machine was contaminated, despite cleaning protocols" (L'ÉQUIPE, 9/26). The AP reported the machines are rinsed between samples "to prevent contamination." French Anti-Doping Agency Secretary General Mathieu Teoran said that the cleaning procedure was "not sufficient this time." The lab detected the problem on Aug. 25, and WADA was informed three days later. The fault has "since been fixed and samples were analyzed again." Teoran said that "no athlete was wrongly punished because of the contamination." He said, "We reanalyzed entire waves of samples to ensure that there were no other problems. We think it's resolved." Teoran added that the lab is now waiting for a WADA audit (AP, 9/26).
