Anti-doping officials are alarmed on the recent result of doping tests conducted on young rugby players in South Africa. The recently concluded Craven Week, where talent scouts search for prospects, was marred by the high number of players tested positive for performance enhancing substances.

More than 8 percent of rugby players subjected to random test returned higher than normal levels of steroids in their system. The tests were only conducted on 47% of participants during the schools rugby tournament but experts said the number of doping rugby players could be higher if they tested more.

According to the Institute for Drug Free Sports, there were 4 positives who may receive one to two-year ban. The final decision will still depend on the anti-doping tribunal hearing the case of these student athletes. There were also two cases of abnormal level of testosterone. Their samples were sent to Germany for further analysis. “Only if the tests confirm that indeed the source of testosterone is from outside of the athlete’s body, will a doping case be opened,” CEO Khalid Galant of the Institute told the TimesLive.

Majority of Players are Clean But…

Galant stressed that even though majority of players participated in the Craven Week were considered clean, this does not mean that only a few were taking banned substances. “Some of them may have stopped taking steroids weeks before the competition in order to pass the drug tests during the tournament,” he said.

He cited as an example the case of one player with low level of nandrolone detected in his body. The anti-doping agency can’t impose sanction because it is below the cut off level under the doping rules and regulations. A bigger sample size could also result to a much higher number of doping violations.

Beware of Testosterone Boosters and Growth Hormone Accelerators

The parents should be vigilant on the type of supplements that are being ingested by their ward. Most of these contain ingredients that are banned by sports organizations. According to Galant, taking these substances pose great danger to the athlete’s health. “Just because you can easily buy a sports supplement at any grocery store or pharmacy does not mean that the supplement does not contain any banned steroids,” he said.

He also warned people who purchase supplement products marketed as boosters and accelerators. “Parents have to be more circumspect about the ingredients of these supplements and especially when words such as “testosterone booster” or “growth hormone accelerator” are used on the packaging of products,” he said.

The Institute for Drug-Free Sport had already established programs aimed to curtail the use of steroids among the young athletes. However, parents still have a critical role in preventing these kids from taking shortcuts in improving skills. The “I Play Fair — Say NO! to Doping” campaign was launched recently to stop the abuse of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. It is focused on educating the young athletes about sports ethics, fair play and the dangers of steroids.

Sources of Steroid Supplements

Based on the investigation of the institute, most of the student athletes purchase these supplements from local gyms and the nightclub bouncer industry. The institute also partnered with the Medicine control Council and other law enforcement agencies to go after steroids syndicates in the country.

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