“The dried blood drop”, this new anti-doping technique deployed in Paris to test athletes

Yasmina Katou / Photo credit: EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP 09:33, August 06, 2024, modified at 09:41, August 06, 2024

The Olympic Games have often been synonymous with doping. A judoka and a volleyball player have been disqualified for this in recent days. To check them, the traditional blood tests or urine analyses are carried out. But for the first time in the history of the Summer Games, a new technique has been deployed: the “dried blood test”, or the dried drop of blood.

To combat doping at the Olympic Games, there were several methods: blood tests or urine analyses. But for the first time in the history of the Summer Games, a new technique was deployed: the “dried blood test”.

A sample that is easier and as effective as a traditional blood test

To do this anti-doping test, all that is needed is a drop of blood taken from the tip of a finger, or from the athlete’s arm. The blood is then absorbed by a type of blotting paper and can then be analyzed in the laboratory. This “dried blood drop” technique has several advantages: the sample is taken more quickly than during a traditional blood test, which allows more athletes to be tested in a shorter period of time. It is also less intrusive than a needle in the arm which can cause a hematoma to appear.