For many years sports scientists have debated about testing athletes. The concern was that if you do a screening test and it gives a positive result and athlete that does not truly have the condition, what is called a false-positive can be excluded from sports or require further more expensive complicated tests to help in the decision of participating or not. Much of the data that came out was based in Italy, where testing for top athletes have been required for 30 years, and has been a success, reducing the risk of death by 90%. More recently this testing program has been expanded to Europe and America. However the population of athletes is quite different, in the USA the black population makes up about 13% overall, but makes up 70% of the athletes in the National Football and Basketball leagues. More recent studies based in the USA and UK has shown that the tests are giving higher false positive results in black athletes. This results in requirements of further tests, expense, anxiety and possible unwarranted exclusion from sport.
Fortunately the testing criteria have recently been studied and have improved the incidence of the false positive tests. There is still a difference between white and black athletes. Fortunately the problem has been identified and research continues to resolve this. In the meantime testing should carry on to prevent tragic and preventable deaths, but sports organizations need to be aware of the bias and not let further more complicated tests be a barrier from permitting black athletes to continue to thrive and enjoy sports.