Japan is in urgent need of trained anti-doping officers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, according to a panel report released by the Japan Sport Agency on Tuesday.
The panel's final report, which also cites the necessity of anti-doping laws and regulations, will be discussed by an all-party parliamentary group on sports that will aim to present related bills to the ordinary Diet session next year.
The report points out the need for more resources to handle the estimated 6,500 drug tests that are expected to be carried out during the Olympics and Paralympics, specifically a need for anti-doping officers with foreign language skills.
It also calls for the expansion of drug-testing lab capabilities as the number of expected tests will equal the number normally conducted over a year in Japan.
According to the report, there are currently only 15 anti-doping officers at LSI Medience Corp., the only lab in Japan accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Under normal conditions, specimen analysis usually takes up to 10 days or more. With the Olympic and Paralympic Games, testing must be completed within 24 hours, which would require around 200 officers working around the clock.