Rugby union does not have a problem with steroids at the elite level – and its “strong and effective” anti-doping programme is the envy of many other sports, according to world rugby officials.
On the eve of the Rugby World Cup, the sport’s anti-doping compliance manager, David Ho, said the game has beefed up testing procedures and introduced the athlete biological passport last year. He also said that the four positive tests from more than 2,100 elite samples in 2014 was not down to complacency but better education and players adhering to the sport’s ‘values’.
Ho said: “We have increased our budget alone by 30% and we run a programme that is as effective as we can with the budget we have. But our numbers suggest doping isn’t an issue. In 2014 we had four positive tests.
“Our long-term strategy is one of effective, intelligent testing. Last year we conducted 2,100 tests across men’s and women’s matches and under-20 rugby. This is in addition to the 4,000-plus samples collected globally. We have also done 950 out-of-competition tests on the 20 teams. But it’s not just about the numbers, it is about being smart.”
The South African hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle has recently received a two-year ban for doping while accusations surrounding Toulon’s connections to local pharmacies are being investigated by French prosecutors. But when asked why he thought rugby union had lower levels of positive tests at elite level compared to many sports, Ho said he thought the game’s values were a factor.
“Rugby is well respected at an international level. We are probably the envy of a lot of other sports with how players respect themselves and their opponents. But while we are running a strong and effective programme, we are not complacent. Four positive tests may indicate that we do not have a problem but it may be that we have missed things, which the athlete biological passport we introduced last year might find.”
And Ho believes that world rugby’s anti-doping education has played a part. “Anti-doping education is mandatory starting at under-20 level,” he said. “And since the 2007 Rugby World Cup education has been delivered to over 13,000 people worldwide.”
UK Anti-Doping’s director of legal, Graham Arthur, has promised the anti-doping programme at the 2015 Rugby World Cup will be “comprehensive and robust.”
“Working closely with World Rugby, Ukad will operate an efficient and robust testing programme, which is intelligence-led and targeted to ensure that we deter and detect doping by testing the right people, at the right time,” he said. “But testing alone is not enough to ensure that sport is protected. We applaud World Rugby for their proactive, and comprehensive education programme ahead of the Rugby World Cup, and the Keep Rugby Clean day on 26 September.
“Providing players with the knowledge and understanding of the risks they may take with their careers, and their health, is a vital part of supporting them to make the right choices to compete, and win, clean.”
