Local sports officials have completed Phase one of the accreditation process for Doping control Officers, as they gear up for the Pacific Games next year.

After a three-day training workshop at the Samoa Association of Sports and National Organization committee, the eight individuals participating received their certificates.

Speaking to the Samoa Observer, Executive Officer of the Oceania Regional Anti-doping organization (O.R.A.D.O), Natanya Potoi-Ulia explained that the three-day workshop represented phase one of the accreditation process.

The second phase will be more hands-on.

“This is the theoretical phase of the training and then we will have the second phase which is the hands on or the practical part where they actually go out and conduct testing of real athletes,” she said. 

“Then they will be assessed by an experienced doping control officer to see if they had actually showed all the competencies that we expect them as doping control officers to display or demonstrate.”

The Executive Officer for O.R.A.D.O said it was important there were a diverse group of individuals being accredited for the roles of doping control officers,

“Yes they’re all from different professions,” she said. 

“When the world anti-doping agency first identified individuals from Samoa, they were really looking at individuals or participants who were not so much involved with sport directly to avoid or minimize the potential conflict of interest.

“That’s why they really looked for people outside other fields to help with that and avoid even the perception of conflict of interest because sometimes when athletes get selected too many times for drug testing, they’ll start to say ‘Why am I being targeted?’, that’s why it’s best if we have some people outside the field come in and to carry out that process.”

The certificates were presented by President of S.A.S.N.O.C., Fepulea’i Patrick Fepulea’i.