The head of the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS), Khalid Galant, stated that doping testing is currently underway during the Craven Week tournament in Gqeberha.
Doping Testing Context
Testing became particularly relevant after it was revealed this week that 18-year-old junior rugby national player, Kai Pratt, tested positive for an anabolic steroid ahead of the SANZAAR U20 Rugby World Cup in Gqeberha. The blood test of this player, who is a prop, was conducted in Stellenbosch on April 10.
Galant exclusively told Independent Media on Thursday that they have both an educational and a testing team operating at Craven Week. He noted that testing at this tournament is not a secret to coaches and players, and similar checks were previously conducted at the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week tournament at the end of last month.
Doping Detection Methodology
Galant explained that regular testing is conducted across all sports in South Africa using data analysis, which is the method by which the issue with Pratt was identified. He specified that Pratt participated in the junior rugby national team training camp where several athletes were tested.
He explained that many variables are confidential because testing is based on a targeted approach. However, publicly known facts include the analysis of performance history, team or athlete rankings, and the nature of competitions, similar to how it is done in T20 cricket. Furthermore, commercial value is also taken into account when determining the priority of competitions for testing.
Subsequently, all teams in the competition are assessed in terms of their results and athlete composition, after which the focus narrows down to individual athletes. Among numerous factors, information obtained through intelligence services plays a key role. Data analysis methods are actively used nowadays. A lot of information (messages) comes into South Africa, and the organization has an investigative department that studies the supply channels of prohibited substances, such as steroids.
Laboratory Issues and International Cooperation
It is important to note that South Africa currently lacks a doping laboratory after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) withdrew accreditation from the Bloemfontein laboratory last year. Samples must now be sent to international laboratories for analysis.
WADA revoked the accreditation of the Bloemfontein laboratory due to non-compliance with several requirements of the International Laboratory Standard. This facility had been under an Analytical Testing Restriction (ATR) since September 2023 and failed to rectify deficiencies in steroid detection testing. Galant emphasized that this does not affect testing in the country, as it is merely an independent service provider. Previously, the laboratory at the University of the Free State was one of 30 global laboratories.
Since any sample subject to anti-doping control or testing in sports can only be sent to one of these 30 world laboratories, samples are currently being sent to Qatar, Barcelona, and Poland. Despite the need to implement austerity measures due to the rand to dollar exchange rate, this does not significantly impact the testing process.
Testing in Other Sports
Galant also confirmed that the entire Bafana Bafana squad was tested before the national football team's departure for the FIFA World Cup in Mexico, USA, and Canada. He explained that different sports have their own risk profile in the context of doping. The risk in football differs significantly from the risks in rugby, cricket, or hockey. Therefore, these sports undergo screening. For example, Bafana was tested before traveling to the World Cup. Many of them play in the PSL, so football is also tested, but its risk profile is different.
This is why there are fewer positive results in football. Several years ago, when the concentration threshold for marijuana on the banned list was very low, several positive results for marijuana, as well as cases of positive tests for cocaine and methamphetamine, were recorded. Thus, the risks in football are more concentrated on illegal drugs, concluded Galant.