Indonesia to Build First Anti-doping Laboratory in Solo, Central Java

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government plans to construct an anti-doping laboratory near the Prof Dr R. Soeharso Orthopedic Hospital in the Central Java City of Solo as part of the government's commitment to upholding anti-doping rules.

The anti-doping laboratory in Indonesia is a crucial part of the government's commitment to upholding anti-doping rules, Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali stated here on Friday.

Such a laboratory will annul the need for Indonesia to send urine samples of its athletes to an overseas laboratory when they are to participate in sports tournaments abroad, the minister remarked.

"We plan to build a laboratory. It seems that the health minister learnt about the plan. He appointed Solo City as the location for the anti-doping laboratory in Indonesia," Amali noted in a written statement released on Saturday.

The plan has obtained complete support of the Health Ministry that will ready 700 square meters of land in the vicinity of the orthopedic hospital to build an anti-doping hospital, the minister revealed.

Amali is upbeat about the plan being realized next year and highlighted his intent to shortly apply for a certificate to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

"This is a new page in history. We will have an anti-doping hospital that will be useful to us and other countries to send samples for examination at the hospital under the supervision of WADA, so that the doping results can be recognized internationally," he added.

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