Doping tests in sports-More cheaters caught |21 July 2006

This figure is quite alarming as the Seychelles National Anti-Doping Commission (SNADC) has so far done doping tests in only four sports – football, basketball, handball and volleyball.

In 52 samples taken on male and female volleyballers, five have returned positive while one player refused to give a urine sample and another skipped the test.

A spokesman for the Seychelles Volleyball Federation (SVF) told Sports Nation that “once we get an official letter from the SNADC regarding those who have tested positive, we will reveal their names.”

In basketball, so far there are five positive tests in 31 samples, an increase of two compared to three registered by June 10, the first time results of the tests were published in Seychelles Nation.

Like basketball, football has also registered an increase in the number of drug users. From five on June 10, the tally has reached eight out of 49 urine samples tested.

The other positive test has come in handball and the player was caught on Wednesday July 19  (afternoon) during a training session.

This came after the Seychelles Handball Federation decided that all players called to the pre-selection for a forthcoming tourney in Mayottes should be tested.
The three sports – football, handball and basketball – have said that they will not reveal the names of the culprits.

A spokesperson for the SNADC said that most of the sportsmen and women have tested positive for recreational drugs like cannabis, marijuana but Sports Nation has learned that some have tested positive for opium.

The same spokesperson added that some sporting federations and associations have requested the SNADC to do drugs tests on their sportsmen and women who are to participate in the Jeux de la Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan indien (CJSOI) in Mauritius from July 31 to August 5.

“This shows that these sporting federations and associations want to get involved in the cleaning up of Seychelles sports. We will soon get down to work on counselling all sportsmen and women about the dangers of doing drugs,” the spokesperson noted.

G. G.