Chinese government has started a program of drug market inspection
to keep the performance-enhancing substances away from the
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs list, said Chinese anti-doping
official here on Wednesday.
(photo:
xinhua)
OTC drugs are medicines that may be sold without a prescription,
in contrast to prescription drugs.
"Under the decision of the State Council, inspections of the
drug-related markets had launched national wide." Zhao Jian, head
of Anti-Doping Commission of the Chinese Olympic Committee told
Xinhua.
According to Zhao, the State Food and Drug Administration, the
local administrations, together with China's State General
Administration of Sports, had inspected the pharmacies one by one
in Wuhan, host of the Sixth Chinese City Games in Central China's
Hubei Province, before the Game opens here on Thursday.
"Drug supervision is extremely important in the war against
doping. We can hardly stop the athletes from doping without the
strict control of the drug market," said Zhao. "The drugs used in
doping are supposed not to be available without prescriptions, but
now people can still buy them in markets, which means there are
loopholes in our administration works."
The Chinese City Games, featuring most teenager athletes, is
considered as a review of the stamina of the Chinese sports and
thus has become a base of anti-doping instructions.
"We took Wuhan as the start point of the program," said
Zhao.
A banner carrying "Strictly Carrying out Anti-Doping Code" was
hanging on the front door of a downtown pharmacy called
Laobaixing.
"The doping control requires a fully cooperation between
different parts of the society and the government." He added.
Dick Pound, head of WADA, who once accused China of inadequate
doping tests, said China had become a "vanguard" of anti-doping in
the world.
He said he got to know that the Chinese central government held
meetings with a dozen of government departments, including
representatives from sports administration and food and drug
administration, to discuss coordinated doping control.
A new and independent anti-doping organization, the Chinese
Anti-Doping Center is about to be set up, with around 40 staff, in
a bid to enhance strength and efficiency in cracking down on use of
drugs by athletes.
(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2007)
