The Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sport (AIMS) will be launching at the GSSE the first ever pilot project in Malta, whereby Dry Blood Testing (DBS) will be used.
AIMS will be conducting this new avant-garde way of testing during the GSSE Malta 2023 edition that will begin on the 26th of May.
Commenting to the press, AIMS CEO Dr Luciano Busuttil opined that DBS is seen by many as “the future of anti-doping testing”. ‘The fact that a blood test will become non-invasive would mean that our athletes would see testing more positive and therefore this blood collection technique should improve the perception of anti-doping’.
Although still in its experimental stages, Dr Busuttil remarked that DBS has the same idea of a glucose test where a drop is collected. In this case, the drop is collected for anti-doping instead for diabetes testing as this is tested for illicit substances, advantages are endless.
To begin with, you require no syringes, no fridges to keep samples, shipping becomes cheaper, and all this would play for the benefit of the athletes since taking a drop of blood is surely more comfortable.
‘We are focusing that AIMS sees its application to increase in coming years and we are proud to be one of the first to test this during an international competition’ continued Dr Busuttil.
Dr Busuttil confirmed that in 2022 AIMS has taken over operations from NADO Malta and since its takeover, it has consistently increased its anti-doping testing. ‘This year we shall have a surge in testing because of the GSSE but even if this was not the case, Malta would have reported a positive increase in tests’.
During GSSE Malta 2023, AIMS will be handling all anti-doping testing with the collaboration of the International Testing Agency (ITA) who will be handling the results management.
AIMS will be sponsoring the GSSE Malta 2023 event by means of providing Doping Control Officials (DCOs), Lab testing and testing management.
In his final communique CEO Dr Busuttil manifested his firm way forward direction for the benefit of the National Sporting evolution as he professed that AIMS, being the National Sport Regulatory Authority was proud to provide the Malta Olympic Committee its expertise and on behalf of AIMS’ Board of Directors and his industrious team of collaborators wished all participating athletes the best of luck, in this upcoming international celebration of clean sports.
