'Invasive' gene test by World Athletics causing headaches before world championships

A Canadian athlete, with an eye on the World Athletics Championships next month, was preparing for a gym session when she received an email from Athletics Canada.

The Aug. 13 message stated the saliva test (cheek swab) the athlete and other females took at the recent national championships in Ottawa to be eligible for competition at worlds did not comply with World Athletics requirements.

The athlete, who CBC Sports agreed to keep confidential for fear of reprisal, had already travelled to Europe, where she planned to train for a month.

"I went to the gym an hour-and-a-half [after reading the email] because I was on the phone trying to figure out what to do to make sure I was eligible [for worlds]," she said. "Do I have to fly to a different country to get the test? It's illegal in the country [where] I'm training.

"Travel is load, the stress is load. It's a bit annoying, especially when I don't agree with this policy."

Athletics Canada contracted Dynacare, one of Canada's leading providers of health and wellness solutions, to provide the test kits for physicians to administer in Ottawa and return for analysis and results. However, Dynacare "made an error with the tubes provided," according to Athletics Canada, and couldn't conduct the appropriate tests from the samples taken.

Several messages to Dynacare seeking comment about who is at fault for a possible test tube error were not returned to CBC Sports.

In a previous statement from Dynacare, it said: "Athletics Canada provided Dynacare with saliva samples for testing. Dynacare identified blood samples were required, not saliva, and immediately recommended blood collection to meet the correct standards [from World Athletics].

"It was a new process for Athletics Canada,