At a visit today to the National Measurement Institute (NMI) in Sydney, Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Science Karen Andrews commended the team at the Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory for their behind-the-scenes commitment to keeping sport clean. "Throughout 25 years of honing its drug detection expertise, the Laboratory has distinguished itself as an innovative world leader in this field," Mrs Andrews said. "NMI scientists have played a critical role in international efforts to develop new, more effective methods for detecting prohibited performance enhancing substances in athletes. This facility has also contributed to upholding the integrity of high-profile global sporting events as well as amateur and professional sporting codes at home." NMI is the only accredited facility in Australasia for sports drug testing and one of only 34 facilities worldwide accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. NMI has provided testing support and expertise for each summer Olympic Games since 1996 and for numerous winter Olympics, and carried out all testing for the 2015 Asian Football Cup. "NMI’s innovative measurement science helps international authorities keep pace with increasingly sophisticated evolutions in doping, giving athletes the confidence that they are competing on the basis of talent alone," Mrs Andrews said. "This confidence is essential for attracting more aspiring young athletes to pursue sporting opportunities in Australia and throughout the world."