During major sporting events such as the Football World Cup, or the Olympics, medics have to assure that all the athletes participating are correct and not using drugs to boost their performances. This way, competitions will remain “clean” in true sportsmanship spirit. That being said, would you be astonished if you learned that the medical personnel conducting the anti-doping tests is now aided by state-of-the-art technology capable of detecting the slightest deviation from the rules?

I am sure most of you already knew this, but few of you have actually seen the technology behind these tests. Like the AB SCIEX Qtrap 5500 pictured here, the mass spectrometry equipment approved by FIFA to be used in South Africa's only World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited lab, the Free State University Sports Doping Laboratory. The facility there will be conducting all the players' tests for the FIFA World Cup 2010.

Piet van der Merwe Ph.D., Director of the Doping Control Laboratory at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, said: “Our goal for the World Cup is to accurately identify the use of performance-enhancing drugs in support of the FIFA World Cup’s anti-doping policies. We are using state-of-the-art instrumentation to uncover and stay ahead of emerging ways to mask doping, so those who might be tempted to artificially enhance their performance on the field should beware. Along with our highly sophisticated test methods, AB SCIEX systems deliver testing capabilities that are among the most advanced ever used for the World Cup.”

What the Qtrap 5500 from AB SCIEX does is to screen, quantify, and confirm certain molecules from a single analysis. This is one of the most advanced solutions available for scientists to detect even the smallest quantities of substances not approved by FIFA.

So, players and teams that intend on cheating at this year's World Cup should be very careful regarding the substances they will be using because this technology is one of the most strict used by FIFA. The chances of a much fairer championship are now increased.


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