ISLAMABAD, Feb 24: A five-day SAF Games and Asian Federation of Sports Medicine (AFSM) Doping Control Course was inaugurated here at the Pakistan Sports Complex on Monday.

The course is part of the organisers efforts to be the first SAF Games to incorporate comprehensive, credible and IOC-approved dope testing for athletes.

Inaugurated by the organising secretary of the SAF Games, Brig Saulat Abbas, the course will feature besides others, Dr. Danish Zaheer, secretary of the AFSM and Dr Pervez Rizvi of the Sports Medicine Association of Pakistan (SMAP).

Col Khalid Hussain, medical director for the Games which run between March 29 and April 7 said that in order to prevent any IOC code violation in dope testing, meticulous planning had been done by the SGOC (SAF Games Organising Committee). “All the plans have been vetted and approved by IOC and WADA.”

Khalid said that during the Games the Doping Control Officers would play a pivotal role. “This course will acquaint the trainee officers with the essentials of doping control. They will be made conversant with the provisions of the IOC doping code, trained in documentation and trained in handling untoward incidents.”

Khalid said that the AFSM had accredited this course giving it additional prestige and international certification.

Dr Danish Zaheer, also spoke on the occasion and said that doping testing during the Games would be done in a befitting manner.