Drug testing in Rugby League; is it a hospital pass?
By Craig Cayton
Friday 4th April 2008
With Dwain Chambers arrival at Castleford Tigers the spotlight has firmly been placed on the Rugby Football League’s governing body, who after their decision to clear the way for Dwain’s arrival in to the sport have been described as “soft touches” for drug users. But is that a fair assessment?
In 2002, Rugby League had the worst doping problem in Britain with more of its performers testing positive for banned anabolic steroids than any other sport in the country. The figures released by UK Sport, the body who is responsible for the testing of athletes in Great Britain, revealed that 18 leading players produced adverse findings for banned substances during the 2000/01 season and more worryingly for the sport how that included 10 who had been taking anabolic steroids, nearly half of the 26 cases in over 40 sports tested. Even more worryingly is that in six out of season tests, four came back positive for traces of anabolic steroids, in comparison to the 506 out-of-competition tests in athletics in which all came back negative.
However since then the RFL has had a complete overhaul of their drug testing agenda. The year after these findings were confirmed, the RFL immediately increased its anti-doping programme from 185 tests in 2001 to 296 tests in 2002, with the league itself paying for last 148 tests themselves. This increase in testing now means that over the course of the season about a third of Rugby League professionals are tested with two from each team tested at every match. This RFL claim is a bigger percentage than any other sport and shows the leagues commitment to making the sport is ‘drug-free’.
Since then the RFL has further increased its anti doping programme with UK Sport statistic’s confirming that of all 379 tests conducted last season only eleven tests came back with a positive finding (2.9% of all tests conducted). The sport is also combating the problem of drug use in sport by becoming the first team sport in the UK to introduce blood testing to their anti-doping agenda. This new technique of drug testing means that the new generation of performance enhancing drugs such as HGH – human growth hormone (Somatotropin) and EPO – (Erythropoietin), can now be detected in the blood stream were as traditional methods of testing such as urine testing. Commenting on this new technique of drug testing, UK Sport’s acting head of press, Lee Taylor added, “This is a terrific move forward in combating drug use in Rugby League. Less and less players are now returning positive tests and this technique will allow us to move into the next generation of drug testing”.
However the RFL has also further shown its determination to stamp out drug cheats in the sport by confirming that next season the amount of testing conducted on athletes will increase even to over 400 tests a season starting immediately, with the introduction of the tests confirming that their will be over a third of players tested. The RFL have also now started conducted tests at team’s overseas training camps in Portugal, Spain and the United States. They have also issued notices to every professional team’s dressing room spelling out the issues surrounding the use of ephedrine and how it will not be tolerated. All teams are also issued with anti-doping control education packs and are now required to make an annual declaration confirming that they have given every player advice and education on the use of drugs in rugby league.
Working in conjunction with UK Sport the RFL has also created the Athlete Whereabouts System in which a athlete has to indicate exactly where they will be in and out of season for one hour day, five days a week, in which whenever a drug tester was to turn up they would be their and would have very little excuse for missing their test. The RFL have also introduced this to young players of the sport in team academy’s, even though this does require written permission from the parents of the child it is still introducing the potential player of the future to drug testing and showing from a early age that the use of drugs in rugby league will not be tolerated.
RFL PR Media Manager Andrew Whitelan says the drug testing in Rugby League is of a high standard and comments on the RFL extreme information campaign to make players aware of what taking drugs could potentially do to their body and to their career. He further added, “We are always trying to improve and advance our anti doping campaign. We not only work to the standards set out by the World Anti Doping Agency but we are always trying to find new methods to test our players”.
However though the RFL do allow for up to three drug tests to be missed in an eighteen month sequence, this is a direct parallel to that of the Football Association which stipulates that every drug test arranged should be attended by the player. Also the amount of tests conducted is still below the amount conducted by the Football Association, the British Olympic Committee and the Rugby Football Union. However even with all this in mind and even with the introduction of proven drugs cheat Dwain Chambers into rugby league, with every year that passes the RFL are making it harder for drugs cheat to both prosper in the sport and continue without been tested. With the modern instruction of methods such as blood testing and the Athlete Whereabouts System the sport is at the forefront of modern anti-doping methods and just the amount and variation of testing keeps on increasing in number, the amount of negative findings continue to diminish.
By Craig Cayton
Friday 4th April 2008
With Dwain Chambers arrival at Castleford Tigers the spotlight has firmly been placed on the Rugby Football League’s governing body, who after their decision to clear the way for Dwain’s arrival in to the sport have been described as “soft touches” for drug users. But is that a fair assessment?
In 2002, Rugby League had the worst doping problem in Britain with more of its performers testing positive for banned anabolic steroids than any other sport in the country. The figures released by UK Sport, the body who is responsible for the testing of athletes in Great Britain, revealed that 18 leading players produced adverse findings for banned substances during the 2000/01 season and more worryingly for the sport how that included 10 who had been taking anabolic steroids, nearly half of the 26 cases in over 40 sports tested. Even more worryingly is that in six out of season tests, four came back positive for traces of anabolic steroids, in comparison to the 506 out-of-competition tests in athletics in which all came back negative.
However since then the RFL has had a complete overhaul of their drug testing agenda. The year after these findings were confirmed, the RFL immediately increased its anti-doping programme from 185 tests in 2001 to 296 tests in 2002, with the league itself paying for last 148 tests themselves. This increase in testing now means that over the course of the season about a third of Rugby League professionals are tested with two from each team tested at every match. This RFL claim is a bigger percentage than any other sport and shows the leagues commitment to making the sport is ‘drug-free’.
Since then the RFL has further increased its anti doping programme with UK Sport statistic’s confirming that of all 379 tests conducted last season only eleven tests came back with a positive finding (2.9% of all tests conducted). The sport is also combating the problem of drug use in sport by becoming the first team sport in the UK to introduce blood testing to their anti-doping agenda. This new technique of drug testing means that the new generation of performance enhancing drugs such as HGH – human growth hormone (Somatotropin) and EPO – (Erythropoietin), can now be detected in the blood stream were as traditional methods of testing such as urine testing. Commenting on this new technique of drug testing, UK Sport’s acting head of press, Lee Taylor added, “This is a terrific move forward in combating drug use in Rugby League. Less and less players are now returning positive tests and this technique will allow us to move into the next generation of drug testing”.
However the RFL has also further shown its determination to stamp out drug cheats in the sport by confirming that next season the amount of testing conducted on athletes will increase even to over 400 tests a season starting immediately, with the introduction of the tests confirming that their will be over a third of players tested. The RFL have also now started conducted tests at team’s overseas training camps in Portugal, Spain and the United States. They have also issued notices to every professional team’s dressing room spelling out the issues surrounding the use of ephedrine and how it will not be tolerated. All teams are also issued with anti-doping control education packs and are now required to make an annual declaration confirming that they have given every player advice and education on the use of drugs in rugby league.
Working in conjunction with UK Sport the RFL has also created the Athlete Whereabouts System in which a athlete has to indicate exactly where they will be in and out of season for one hour day, five days a week, in which whenever a drug tester was to turn up they would be their and would have very little excuse for missing their test. The RFL have also introduced this to young players of the sport in team academy’s, even though this does require written permission from the parents of the child it is still introducing the potential player of the future to drug testing and showing from a early age that the use of drugs in rugby league will not be tolerated.RFL PR Media Manager Andrew Whitelan says the drug testing in Rugby League is of a high standard and comments on the RFL extreme information campaign to make players aware of what taking drugs could potentially do to their body and to their career. He further added, “We are always trying to improve and advance our anti doping campaign. We not only work to the standards set out by the World Anti Doping Agency but we are always trying to find new methods to test our players”.
However though the RFL do allow for up to three drug tests to be missed in an eighteen month sequence, this is a direct parallel to that of the Football Association which stipulates that every drug test arranged should be attended by the player. Also the amount of tests conducted is still below the amount conducted by the Football Association, the British Olympic Committee and the Rugby Football Union. However even with all this in mind and even with the introduction of proven drugs cheat Dwain Chambers into rugby league, with every year that passes the RFL are making it harder for drugs cheat to both prosper in the sport and continue without been tested. With the modern instruction of methods such as blood testing and the Athlete Whereabouts System the sport is at the forefront of modern anti-doping methods and just the amount and variation of testing keeps on increasing in number, the amount of negative findings continue to diminish.
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