Doping control in Seychelles sports-More positive tests |09 March 2007

In line with this, Wada is sending a delegation here to help educate local sportsmen and women about doping control and this will be done during a two-day seminar early next week.

In just over a month, five positive cases have been registered in a total of 19 tests conducted until March 7, 2007. This proves that the local sportsmen and women aren’t serious and have no respect for their sports, their teammates and the institution.

A sixth case involves a footballer who refused to take the test earlier this week and according to a reliable source, he has been shown the door by the management of the team he plays for.

This is the kind of cooperation the Seychelles National Anti-Doping Commission (SNADC) expects from all players in the Seychelles sports system to have a good and effective doping control system here.

Until now, the SNADC has not revealed the names of the cheaters, meaning that local sports followers and members of the public only hear about it through word of mouth.

A decision was to be taken about whether to reveal the names of the offenders or not this year, but by the time of going to press, this had not been decided upon.

Until now, the SNADC had only been doing random sports at sports venues, but speaking to Sports Nation in a telephone conversation yesterday morning, its chairman, Jean Larue, said: 
“We will come out much tougher this year. We will continue with the random tests but will also do targeted tests and most importantly out-of-competition tests – in training, at the athletes’ homes and athletes being notified in advance to report to a certain place to do the tests. This is done all over the world and Seychelles is no exception.”

Asked when more sophisticated doping tests will start here, Mr Larue replied:
“Soon. Very soon. The advanced tests will be able to detect the supposedly masking agents we understand some athletes are taking to minimise the chances of them testing positive.”

For these advanced tests, urine samples will be sent to a laboratory in South Africa for testing.

It is to note that sportsmen and women who test positive for a second offence will be banned for one year, while first offenders will get six months.

A total of 61 local sportsmen and women, coming from six of the more than 30 sports practiced here, returned positive tests in a seven-month period – from May 12, 2006 to November 25, 2006 – out of 429 tests conducted.

Most of the offenders were caught using recreational drugs like cannabis and marijuana and even opium.

G. G.