Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
22 February 2018 Photo Supplied
Tennis team countrys fourth-best
The Kovsies first tennis team is from left Cornelius Rall, Lienke de Kock, Reze Opperman and Arne Nel (captain).

The first tennis team of the University of the Free State (UFS) obtained a respectable fourth place at the Top Guns Club event that finished at Sun City on Monday 19 February 2018.

It was the first time the tournament was held where all the provincial tennis champs competed for the honours as national club champions.

The Kovsie team was represented by Cornelius Rall, Lienke de Kock, Reze Opperman and Arne Nel. Arne a veteran who has played for the first team for six years, led the team. They played as men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles with optional rotation at the end of each set.

The round robin matches consisted out of three full short sets. Thus, the first team to four games, by a margin of two would win the set.

Student crown to defend
The Free State students topped their pool with three wins from three encounters.

Victories came against Lapésa Tennis Club of the Northern Cape, Wesbank from Eden and Cradock from Eastern Province, all by 3-0.

It set up an encounter with Camps Bay from the Western Cape in the semi-finals which the Kovsies lost by 1-2.

In the play-off for third and fourth place the students came unstuck against Marks Park Tennis Club from Gauteng Central.

The Kovsies will next be in action from 13 to 16 April 2018 again in Sun City in a university challenge tournament which they have won for the previous two years.

They boast an outstanding record in student competitions, having won the University Sport South Africa (Ussa) the last eight years consecutively.

News Archive

SADoCoL receives partial reinstatement of blood sample testing by the World Anti-Doping Agency
2016-08-22

Last week, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced the lifting of the suspension of blood sample analysis by the South African Doping Control Laboratory (SADoCoL) at the University of the Free State (UFS). Although the suspension of urine sample analysis is still under review, the UFS is appreciative of the new outcome. The initial temporary suspension of SADoCoL, announced on 3 May 2016, included the suspension of all doping-control procedures which applied to both urine and blood samples.

The main reason for the suspension involved analytical techniques relevant to urine analysis; however, the testing of blood samples was also included in the suspension. At the time of the suspension, no adverse findings were reported for the laboratory in relation to blood-sample testing for Athlete Blood Passport (ABP) assessment. 

According to the agreement with WADA, the suspension period would be utilised to implement and test new systems in order to achieve the standard presently required by WADA, as well as to perform development and improvements. SADoCoL is a specialised service laboratory of the UFS and has been in existence for more than thirty years.

Upon SADoCoL’s request to lift the suspension of only the ABP analysis, WADA agreed to allow the laboratory to apply for reaccreditation.  SADoCoL immediately applied for reaccreditation of ABP analysis on blood, so that the laboratory would be allowed to at least offer this service to the Anti-Doping community in Africa.

For this purpose, inspections were performed by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) and by WADA, during which all aspects of blood analysis by the laboratory were thoroughly assessed and tested.  The successful outcome of these inspections resulted in the reaccreditation of SADoCoL by WADA in order to perform ABP analysis as required by the WADA International Standard for Laboratories, with effect from 4 August 2016. 

This outcome allows the laboratory to once again perform this very essential analytical procedure.  The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) and other regular users can now continue to send blood samples to SADoCoL for ABP analysis, instead of making use of alternative laboratories.

 

Released by: Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Tel: +27 51 401 3422/2707 or +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za  | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 51 444 6393

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept