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drugs in sport

South African rugby international gets two-year ban for doping

Chiliboy Ralepelle tested positive for the banned substance drostanolone.

22-TIMES CAPPED South Africa international hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle has been banned from rugby for two years for doping, World Rugby has announced.

The 28-year-old underwent a doping test on 19 March 2014, when he was sidelined with a knee injury, and tested positive for the banned substance drostanolone, an anabolic steroid.

South Africa Doping Springboks Ralepelle played against the Lions in 2009. Associated Press Associated Press

An independent World Rugby Judicial Committee sat on 2 June 2015, after Ralepelle had been given time to prepare a defence, and found that the front row had committed an anti-doping rule violation.

Ralepelle had initially opted to appeal the two-year ban, but then dropped that appeal on Thursday 3 September.

Ralepelle was released early from his contract with French club Toulouse last March, a result of his positive test.

Drostanolone is an anabolic steroid that can produce effects similar to testosterone. Body builders are known to ingest before competition in order to improve muscle hardness, while it is also used as a breast cancer drug.

Ralepelle previously tested positive for an illegal substance following South Africa’s meeting with Ireland in Dublin in 2010, when his urine sample was found to contain the performance-enhancing drug methylhexanamine.

Ralepelle and teammate Bjorn Basson were both cleared by the South African Rugby Union [SARU] on that occasion, however, when it was found that the stimulant was in a supplement given to the players in the warm-up before the game against Ireland.

World Rugby operates a zero-tolerance policy on doping and players are responsible for any prohibited substance found in their body,” said World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper of Ralepelle’s two-year suspension.

“Rugby is founded on fair play and the promotion of a level playing field for all players. This particular case illustrates the rigorous anti-doping programme World Rugby implements in conjunction with WADA, both in and out of competition.”

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