Qatar has inaugurated the first anti-doping lab in the Middle East at Aspire Zone.

The Anti-Doping Lab Qatar (ADLQ) will provide drug testing to athletes in the Gulf and across West Asia during competitions, training and in the off-season.

Staff inside the three-story building, which was formally launched yesterday by Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will test blood for various illegal substances, including testosterone, steroids and a new form of strengthening called gene doping,  ADLQ said in a statement.

Additionally, the group said it hopes to raise public awareness about drug use, run education programs for athletes and eventually establish a more level playing ground in the world of sports by working to eliminate the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

Thoughts?