A lengthy debate over where to put a state-of-the-art doping lab for the 2010 Winter Olympics has come to an end. Vancouver's Olympic organizing committee has opted to build the facility inside the new speed skating oval in Richmond.
VANOC says athletes will face the most rigourous anti-doping testing in the history of the Olympic Games in the $9-million facility.
"What we're happy about is that VANOC is going to be providing a first-class testing facility," said VANOC board member Dick Pound.
The space inside the Richmond Oval complex is being donated by the city of Richmond.
But the cost to build and operate the lab is double what Olympic organizers had budgeted for.
Run by a team from Montreal, the lab will test about 2,500 urine and blood samples during the Games.
It will be the only lab in Canada and one of a handful in the world certified by the anti-doping agency.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Mike Killeen
