Paris (AFP)
The French Athletics Federation (FFA) will encourage top athletes to engage in the private Quartz program of health monitoring and anti-doping alert, announced Wednesday its president Andre Giraud to AFP.
Several headliners of French athletics (Kévin Mayer, Mélina Robert-Michon, Hassan Chahdi) said Tuesday their willingness to integrate the Quartz program which, based on sampling and analysis of biological data, offers athletes health monitoring also triggers anti-doping alerts in case of abnormal parameters. Athletes participating in the program also have the opportunity to make public all their biological data.
Launched in 2017, the Quartz program is notably followed by some of the best trailers in the world, such as Spaniard Kilian Jornet.
"We can only welcome the initiative of some of our athletes, it is a great opportunity for the athletes and the federation to fight against doping," said FFA President André Giraud told AFP. unreserved decision and we will encourage the maximum of athletes to do the same, even if it will remain a personal decision.
The FFA plans to fund part of the athletes' participation in the program (2,000 euros per year).
"We want to educate the athletes, explain to them that it is in their interest to be clear and transparent (...) This is our wish after the Calvin case (the marathoner suspected of evading doping control "to present itself as a pioneering federation in the fight against doping," continued Mr. Giraud, emphasizing the anti-doping prevention and training activities already organized by the federation.
"Of course we respect and support the work of the French anti-doping agency (which includes athletes with the biological passport) and hope that this initiative will strengthen their action," added the president of the FFA.
? 2019 AFP