Two Western Cape schools (Rondebosch and Bishops Boys High) have introduced a new drug-testing programme to eradicate a growing trend of doping in schools. Players that fail a drug test will receive a three-month suspension.

 

Organisations such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) have made radical improvements in terms of detection of the usage of performance enhancers. The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) has made mammoth strides in preventing doping in South African sports. The SAIDS have worked closely with the WADA to effectively and temporarily ban athletes who have either knowingly or unknowingly taken performance enhancers.

 

One of such athlete is the 26-year-old South African batsman Vaughn Van Jaarsveld, who has played two One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 matches for South Africa. He tested positive for the banned stimulant known as sibutramine. Van Jaarsveld claimed that he unintentionally took the drug and that it was a compound that was found in his weight-loss medication, which was prescribed by his doctor. Now although he claims he had no intention of doping, he still had to face the music like everyone else and was banned from any sporting activity recognised by SAIDS for at least three months.

Platinum Stars midfielder Reuben Thebakang tested positive during a routine drug test. He claims that he had simply been smoking tobacco in a hubbly bubbly, but the results of the test allegedly showed traces of weed. Thebakang was then banned from sporting activities for three months and his contract with Platinum Stars was terminated. These are just some examples of how possible unintentional doping can harm people’s brand and reputation.

 

The infamous Lance Armstrong doping scandal shook the sporting world. Armstrong overcame many challenges throughout his life; especially when he was diagnosed with stage-three testicular cancer in 1996. He became an inspirational role model to many with his Livestrong Foundation, but when he refused to meet with the USADA and give testimony, under oath, about his doping practices, he soon came under pressure. Armstrong was adamant in his denials that he ever took any drugs during his cycling career.

 

The whole world was thus astounded when he confessed to doping in a television interview with Oprah Winfrey. Armstrong admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs before each of his seven Tour de France victories. The ASADA stripped Lance Armstrong of his seven titles, declaring that Armstrong had performed ‘the most sophisticated doping operation in the history of sports’. Huge brands such as Nike and Oakley withdrew their million-dollar sponsorships from the Armstrong brand within hours of the interview’s airing.

 

One has to ask: where does it all start? Many have suggested that doping begins on the playgrounds of high schools and then extends into the athlete’s professional years. Teens and young adults in the sporting industry find competition extremely stiff and succumb to the temptation that doping poses. A recent Jo’burg study involved 100 high school pupils aged between 15 and 18 who were members of first and second teams. 30% said they were taking performance-enhancing substances, including caffeine and creatine. But what really shocked sports scientist and researcher Professor Andrew McKune was the teens’ open admissions of taking illegal anabolic steroids out of fear of being dropped from their teams.

 

Winning at all costs, for a growing number of athletes, include taking anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. The whole point of sporting events is to test the human ability and not the ability of drug usage. What is the whole point of competitions if athletes cheat?

 

Many supporters admire the athletes for their natural ability and hard work, not because they took the easy ‘alternative’. What sort of message does it send to an aspiring athlete if their role models are taking drugs?

 

SAIDS has stepped up their game in terms of detecting and preventing sporting professionals from participating in sports when they are found guilty for doping. We at GAS magazine would like to extend our support and acknowledgement to SAIDS for measurably diminishing the use of performance-enhancing drugs in South Africa.

 

WADA is committed to helping stakeholders implement the ‘SAY “NO!” TO DOPING’ campaign. Your participation is key to spreading the message about dope-free sport.

 

If you would like to find out more about the campaign, visit: http://www.wada-ama.org/en/education-awareness/say-no-to-doping/.