School doping ‘a blow to SA rugby’
Lenina Rassool
Four players who tested positive at the country’s biggest school rugby tournament, Craven Week, last month have proved that the use of illegal steroids among schoolchildren is still a huge problem.
The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport tested 47 percent of the participants throughout the tournament, with the four positives translating into an 8.5 percent positive return. The boys are facing an independent tribunal and could be sentenced to a minimum ban of two years from rugby.
Khalid Galant, CEO of the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport, said that he was not surprised by the results.
Independent testing by Joburg company Drug Detection International at 18 of South Africa’s top schools earlier this year found that 21 out of 130 pupils tested postive for illegal steroids.
Professor Tim Noakes, of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, said there was a perception that to be a good rugby player, you needed to take steroids. “But parents need to be made aware that supplements are a stepping stone to steroids, which in turn often leads to harder drugs like cocaine or tik.”
Noakes said that the only way to control the use of illegal steroids was by stopping the supply. In the meantime, he said that parents should watch out for sudden weight gain in muscle instead of fat, acne and aggressive behaviour as indicators of steroid use.
Pressure from parents and coaches as well as scouts from around the world attending Craven Week to find talented players added extra pressure.
“There’s a win-at-all-costs mentality, putting ethics and fair play aside, which is why we’re trying to put the focus back on to values,” said Galant.
As the host union, the Griqualand West Rugby Union said that it had little to do with the present situation, but CEO Arni van Rooyen said that a doping scandal at schoolboy level was a blow to SA rugby.
South African Rugby Union CEO Jurie Roux said Saru made a contribution each year to the South African Institute Against Drugs.