The twin pillars of testing and education will again be to the fore in Moscow as the world’s top Sevens players commit to Keep Rugby Clean at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013.
A comprehensive testing programme is in place for the tournament, which runs from June 28-30 at the iconic Luzhniki Stadium in the Russian capital. As well as in-competition testing, players will also be subject to urine and blood tests out of competition from the time they land in the country.
The IRB has highlighted its commitment to the promotion of drug-free Rugby with the appointment of the Russian National Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to deliver the rigorous testing programme in Moscow. All samples collected will be sent for analysis at the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in the city.
A total of 1,102 tests were conducted on Sevens players through RWC Sevens qualifying tournaments, the HSBC Sevens World Series and out of competition over the past 18 months. These tests yielded a total of nine violations.
But testing is only one side of the battle against performance-enhancing drugs in Rugby. Education is key and all participating teams received the anti-doping handbooks (translated into 10 languages) prior their departure to the tournament.
All anti-doping educational resources are available on www.keeprugbyclean.com. The e-learning programme, which was launched on June 13, is an extensive tool that allows players, coaches and team management to learn about the dangers and consequences of doping.
From Tuesday to Thursday next week, there will be an Anti-Doping Outreach station located in the team hotel. Players and other team personnel will be encouraged to visit the station where anti-doping information and advice will be provided.
The IRB’s Keep Rugby Clean campaign has the backing of a number of ambassadors, including British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton, Argentina’s Felipe Contepomi, Australia flanker David Pocock, Carla Hohepa from New Zealand, Heather Moyse of Canada and South Africa Sevens star Cecil Afrika.
Indeed, Afrika will be a key member of the South Africa team taking part in Moscow. He said: "The Keep Rugby Clean campaign is an easy one for me to support as I live my life and play my Rugby by that motto. I accepted the role as an ambassador to the campaign because I believe that my lifestyle is living proof of that and that it hopefully can motivate others to do the same."
"I would recommend the IRB’s efforts to educate players on the importance of anti-doping and would urge the players to take notice of and attend these workshops. The argument that someone did not know will never be an excuse when it comes to doping. As a potential or current professional Rugby player, you should make sure what the dangers and pitfalls are when it comes to the use of substances and supplements. My advice would be that if you are unsure about the legality of something, don’t take it."
IRB Anti-Doping Manager for Testing and Education, Ilaria Baudo, said: "Rugby Sevens demonstrates all that is good about our sport – athleticism, skill, power and camaraderie – and it also espouses the Game’s core values of integrity, respect, solidarity, passion and discipline. And that includes remaining clean."
"Players need to understand the dangers and consequences of doping, the pitfalls concerning nutritional supplement use and how to maintain a healthy and clean approach to sports nutrition. Our Keep Rugby Clean initiative helps promote those values."
Editor notes:
The IRB and its Member Unions are fully committed to ensuring the integrity of Rugby is rigorously protected at all levels of the Game. As a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency Code, the IRB strongly believes that there is no place for drug cheats in sport.
Rugby undertakes an extensive and rigorous annual programme of anti-doping testing and athlete education in order to promote a level playing field for all our athletes built on Rugby's character-building values of integrity, discipline, respect, solidarity and passion.
In 2012, the IRB undertook 1,542 in and out-of-competition controls across IRB tournaments and events, including blood testing, with 21 confirmed anti-doping rule violations, equating to one per cent of the entire programme. In total, more than 6,000 tests were undertaken in Rugby worldwide in 2011 by national anti-doping agencies, Unions and the IRB with 53 violations.
Education is key and the IRB Keep Rugby Clean programme has seen more than 10,000 up and coming international players subjected to extensive education process at IRB junior tournaments since 2002.
For Further Information:
James Fitzgerald, IRB Media Manager, +353-861-723-570, email james.fitzgerald@irb.com
As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.
These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only
Últimas Noticias
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Beyond the final result, Roland Garros left the feeling that the Italian and the Spaniard will shape the great duel that came to help us through the duel for the end of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era.
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
She is the third in her sport and the seventh athlete to achieve it in the same edition; in Santiago 2023 she was the first athlete with disabilities to compete at the Pan American level and won a medal.
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró received a five-game suspension for an indiscipline in the circuit’s decisive clash that would exclude him until the final or the bronze match; the Federation will seek to make the appeal successful.
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
The Kenyan received the maximum sanction for irregularities in his biological passport and the Court considered that he was part of a system of “deliberate and sophisticated doping” to improve his performance. He will lose his record and the bronze medal at the Doha World Cup.
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
The American, a seven-time Olympic champion, referred to the case of the 23 positive controls before the Tokyo Games that were announced a few weeks ago and shook the swimming world. “I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,” he said.
