04 Jan 2016

Tragedy has befallen the country after two rugby sevens national team players allegedly failed a doping test. The players are alleged to have failed the random doping tests while representing the country during an Olympic Games qualifying tournament held in South Africa from November 15-16.

Botswana failed to advance from Pool C where they were pitted against Tunisia, Morocco and Namibia. After the positive results for doping tests, Botswana Rugby Union (BRU) was given a December 24 deadline for the two players to have responded to the results, but was yet to respond when BOPA inquired on December 28.

According to the new World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, the two players might face a maximum four year ban because they failed to respond to the tests. Contacted for comment recently, BRU president, Elijah Jones said the association was still on holiday until February and was therefore not in a position to comment on the matter.

Pressed to explain why BRU failed to meet the deadline, Jones said “We told them everybody was on holiday, so we have pleaded with them to extend the deadline for us so that we can respond.”

While confirming that he has heard the news that some rugby sevens national team players have failed a doping test, Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho explained that BNOC was yet to receive official communication from either BRU or the South African Institute of Drug Free Sport.

“If the news making rounds are indeed anything to go by, then it would be such a huge disappointment,” Serufho said. He said rugby was amongst the sports to which both the Botswana National Anti-Doping Organisation (BONADO) and the Africa Zone VI Regional Anti-Doping Organisation have delivered a number of educational programmes on anti-doping, in addition to conducting both in and out of competition tests.

He therefore said one would have thought there was a high level of awareness of the phenomena at the code, especially by national team players. "Authorities have waged an all-out war to rid sport of doping, and cheats will be caught and dealt with accordingly,” Serufho cautioned.

The BNOC boss warned athletes who participate in organised sport held under the auspices of a member of an international sport federation that they should know that at any point they could be subjected to doping tests.

He said it was athletes’ duty to familiarise themselves with the list of banned substances. Serufho further said pharmacists were also encouraged to keep the list so that they know what not to prescribe to athletes, saying as part of BNOC’s effort to educate pharmacists and other medical practitioners in Botswana, they held an anti-doping workshop for them in 2015.

He said for health reasons, there were procedures followed for athletes to use drugs that might be containing banned substances and not cause rule violations. ENDS