Tests show: Doping high-tech bottles are not counterfeit-proof

Lausanne (SID) The safety problem with the high-tech bottles for doping tests at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang (February 9th to 25th) is apparently even bigger than already assumed. According to a report by the Swiss online magazine Republik, which formed a research team together with the ARD doping editorial team, the British Sunday Times and the Swedish television SVT, the containers not only have to be opened repeatedly on occasion, but are also not forgery-proof. As the magazine reported, the bottles from the Swiss company Berlinger were "sawed up and copied, recreated, stored in a cool place and the lids were turned on and off again." In a company in the Ruhr area, the bottle was cut open just below the cap. The cap could then easily be screwed onto another bottle. No one was available to comment from Berlinger when contacted by SID. According to Republic, the copy of such a bottle was ordered online and looks deceptively similar to the original. The necessary labels were then copied. This new bottle was then presented to a tester from a European doping control laboratory. After examining the object, he explained: "I looked at it for several minutes and couldn't tell which was the original and which was the fake. Only when I pushed the bottles together did the sound slightly different. But that's normal "It's not usual to check the bottles so precisely. It wouldn't be noticeable." This test was then carried out in other laboratories with the same result. Republic further reported that the lid with the supposedly secure closure was easily recreated by a specialist. As a result, a completely replica bottle with label and lid was presented to an employee of a control laboratory. Apparently the complete copy could not be identified as such. After being stored in a refrigerator for 72 hours, the original Berlinger bottles could sometimes be easily opened and then resealed. This would open the door to manipulation. For the German sports law expert Michael Lehner, this is a scandal. "I was shocked at how easy the containers were to open. That's why I said: The doping control system is at its end," he told the SID on Tuesday. In his opinion, the safety problems with the doping test bottles for the Winter Olympics have serious legal implications. There is a reversal of the burden of proof in doping proceedings, said Lehner, "the burden of proof no longer falls on the athlete, but entirely on the association."

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Tests show: Doping high-tech bottles are not counterfeit-proof

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