WADA have announced the lifting of restrictions on the laboratory in Bucharest ©Getty Images

The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) have ended a 16-month analytical testing restriction (ATR) which had been imposed on the Romanian doping control laboratory in Bucharest.

WADA President Witold Bańka approved the decision following a recommendation by WADA's Laboratory Expert Advisory Group.

The restriction had been imposed on May 1 2021, after the laboratory had voluntarily admitted that they were unable to update their gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS) in time to meet new WADA guidelines.

Last month, WADA's advisory group had reviewed documentation supplied by the laboratory. 

The submission included "evidence of the full implementation of requirements into the procedure, as well as evidence that the laboratory’s method was fully validated and demonstrated as fit-for-purpose," a WADA statement said.

WADA President Witold Bańka gave approval for the Bucharest laboratory to lift restrictions after advice from experts ©Getty Images
WADA President Witold Bańka gave approval for the Bucharest laboratory to lift restrictions after advice from experts ©Getty Images

The Bucharest laboratory is now able to resume all of its anti-doping activities. 

As part of the decision to lift the ATR, it has been stipulated that the laboratory "shall seek a second opinion before reporting an adverse analytical finding (AAF) or atypical finding (ATF) from tests."

This condition applies until September 2023, a period of 12 months.

The suspension was twice extended for six months because interruptions as a result of COVID-19, which had limited the availability of staff to work on the necessary development of testing methods.