There's one Israeli at the Paris Olympics who hasn’t had a single positive test result – and that’s a good thing. Meet Kobi Barak (43), a member of the Israeli Anti-Doping Agency (NADO ISR) and the only drug tester from Israel in Paris. If he had also caught the Afghan judoka Mohammad Samim using steroids, that would have been perfect.
2 View gallery Kobi Barak ( Photo: Private album ) How did you get involved with the Israeli Anti-Doping Agency? "I got into this through my master's studies in biology at Tel Aviv University," says Barak. "I met a PhD student there who worked at the agency, and he brought me in. The training is done within the agency, and there are no specific entry requirements or degrees needed, although most testers have academic degrees.
They were looking for someone with a background like mine – I founded animal welfare organizations, had managerial roles, and it suited them." What does an Olympic workday look like? "We are 350 testers and 700 volunteers from around the world. The volunteers are the ones who call the athletes for tests at every competition, and we conduct them.
For example, I was at swimming, badminton, boxing, and climbing. There's also a large complex in the Olympic Village where we work, with longer shifts and many tests. The work varies a lot; it can range from four to eight hours a day.
We explain the test to the athlete, they provide urine, and we transfer it to special large WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) jars for testing..