Surakarta, 14 October 2024
PEPARNAS (National Paralympic Games) 2024 has just been officially closed by the Minister of Youth and Sports Mr. Ario Bimo Nandito Ariotedjo, on October 13th, 2024 evening at the Manahan Stadium, Solo. That multi-event for para-athletes had been organized since October 6th, 2024 and had been attended by around 3,100 para-athletes competing in 20 sport programs. In that event, IADO (Indonesian Anti-Doping Organization) assigned 20 DCOs (Doping Control Officers), 35 Chaperones (mostly from the Sebelas Maret State University, the Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta and the Slamet Riyadi University of Surakarta). In addition, IADO also assigned 4 local investigators and 4 PRESIs (Education Presenters), because at PEPARNAS (as it also occurred during PON 2024 in Aceh and Northern Sumatra), doping control activities did not collect samples only, but it also included educational activities as well as intelligence and investigation activities. Specifically for urine sample collection, up to the last match on the evening of October 12th, 2024, a total of 138 samples had been collected, in which all of them were directly sent to the anti-doping laboratory in Bangkok gradually, where the final delivery was done on October 13th, 2024, totaling 70 samples to be sent to Bangkok directly from Solo Adisumarmo Airport via Soekarno Hatta Cengkareng Airport. The samples were collected from a number of champion athletes who competed on the following sport programs:
- Aquatic.
- Archery.
- Athletics.
- Badminton.
- Bicycle racing.
- Boccia.
- Judo.
- Shooting.
- Table Tennis.
- Weight Lifting.
Ideally, urine samples should be collected from all competed sport programs (20 sport programs). However, due to the limited budget received by IADO from the Organizing Committee of PEPARNAS, IADO made various adjustments and even added to its budget through IADO’s routine budget received from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, whose aim was that the total number of samples collected could meet appropriateness. As a comparison, during PEPARNAS 2016 in Western Java, 3,500 athletes participated in 13 sport programs. Finally, there were 130 samples collected, showing that 2 athletes had been indicated to have positive substances for using prohibited substances, namely 1 table tennis athlete who was indicated to have used Methylprednisolone and Glucocorticosteroids, and 1 athletic athlete who was indicated to use Dexamethasone and Glucocorticosteroids. Meanwhile, 1,935 athletes participated in PEPARNAS 2021 in Papua for 12 sport programs. Finally, there were 153 samples collected, showing that 1 athlete had been indicated to have used a prohibited substance, namely 1 swimming athlete who was indicated to have used Diuretics.
Furthermore, educational activities had been implemented by conducting anti-doping outreach (campaigns), which have been carried out at a number of venues, namely at Badminton, Athletics, Shooting, Boccia, Weight Lifting, Swimming, Taekwondo and Table Tennis, carried out from the beginning to the end of PEPARNAS. 2024. That anti-doping educational activity involved 4 PRESI personnel who came from various regions. They are actually together with 8 other PRESI personnel, of 12 personnel totally, who are the result of selection from a total of 278 PRESI candidates. The presence of 4 PRESI personnel in addition to 2 IADO education staffs were very useful in encouraging increased athlete awareness of the dangers of doping. Until the end of the activity, the Outreach activity had attracted 565 educational participants through interaction methods at a number of IADO booths. They were not only given an explanation, but they were also tested on their knowledge and given souvenir bonuses for their knowledge skills.
Meanwhile, the 4 existing intelligence and investigation personnel were on duty in very secret activities at various venues, whose purposes were to monitor, identify and report any suspicious incidents that had a direct or indirect influence on anti-doping violations. The results of the anti-doping laboratory analysis in Bangkok sent from the event of the PEPARNAS in Solo would only be known around November or December 2024. IADO and all of us wished that nothing would be indicated as positive. If there would be something positive, IADO would convey it to the IADO RM (Result Management) Committee, which should process it as usual in a judicial process, starting from providing an initial notification to the athlete concerned, summoning the athlete for a hearing (which allows the athlete to carry out classification or self-defense), and conveying the RM Committee’s decision. If the athlete is not satisfied with the RM Committee’s decision, the related athlete will have the right to appeal according to the time limits set out in the World Anti-Doping Code. It would be estimated that the RM Committee process would only be completed maximally around March 2025.
Surakarta, 14 October 2024.
Chairman of IADO.
Gatot S. Dewa Broto