The anti-doping test will only be conducted on athletes who win medals during the Pacific Games.

This was confirmed by Team Samoa’s Chef de Mission, Nynette Sass. 

The drug testing will be facilitated by the World Anti-doping Agency where an athlete must give up 90 mils of urine.

Ms. Sass told the media the whole idea is to keep the Games clean and not have any incidents where athletes take drugs to boost their performance level.

“We have launched this by doing a lot of training so athletes know what their responsibilities are in terms of what they ingest whether knowingly or unknowingly all because we want everybody to play fair and be clean,” she said.

The process of the testing will start when an athlete is identified during the Games as a medal winner they will be automatically tapped on the shoulder and introduced to anti-doping officers to undergo the test.

“One of the things the athletes must keep in mind is that they cannot refuse, run away or try to hide from them but in cases where they do, and then automatically you are tested positive for doping.

“It does not matter how long you are competing, the anti-doping officers have to keep a close eye on you even if you go to the bathroom, and they will follow you only because they don’t want you to do anything to your body in attempts to cover up or mask any form of doping that you have done.

“But there is only an exception if you have to compete right after you have been identified a medalist,” she stated.

Ms. Sass said the test is a very invasive system because the athlete has to strip and be exposed to the officer as you fill the sample urine.

“The pants go down to your knees, your shirt goes under your armpits, if you are wearing long sleeves they get rolled up.

“It can be very embarrassing for a lot of our young people and this why we have to do this training, to get them used to it and understanding what the process is.

“Minors will have people accompanying them.”