Doping control in Seychelles sports – a year later-SNADC chairman Larue confident in eradication work |17 May 2007
“The situation is different now with the involvement of mostly everyone involved in sports. Team managers, chairpersons of sports federations and associations are now asking us to test all their players. Even before acquiring a new player, they find it necessary that the player should take a doping test. The more interesting thing is that although athletes who test positive are banned by the SNADC, some team managers take even tougher actions against them. This is proof that all involved in sports here have understood the message we sent out when we started doing the tests. The success of the programme also lies in the commitment of the Seychelles government, the Ministry of the Arts, Culture and Sports (MACS) and sports federations and associations,” said Mr Larue.
Mr Larue, who is also the director general for Sports Planning and Policy Development within the Sports Department of the Ministry of the Arts, Culture and Sports (MACS), added that the number of positive cases has reduced dramatically, from a ratio of 1 to 5 (one positive case in five tests carried out) last year to 1 to 9 (one positive case in nine tests carried out) this year.
As example, he used the women’s volleyball pre-selection who left last Monday for a training camp in Italy, saying all 16 players tested negative after the Seychelles Volleyball Federation (SVF) asked for doping tests to be done on each one of them.
Mr Larue added that in one weekend, the SNADC did not register a single positive case in 36 tests carried out by doping control officers (DCO).
He noted that he hopes no Seychellois athlete test positive in one of the three major Games this year – Ninth All-Africa Games (Algiers, Algeria from July 11 to 23), the Second Afro-Asian Games (in Algiers, Algeria from July 28 to August 6) and the Seventh Indian Ocean Islands Games (in Antananarivo, Madagascar from August 9 to 19).
“Although tests done on athletes before they leave for overseas competitions return negative, we cannot stop those same athletes from doing drugs after the tests have been done. It’s up to the athletes to be serious and respect their colleagues and the institution.
Doping control exists in sports around the world and the SNADC’s mission is to wipe out drugs in Seychelles sports. I take this opportunity to thank all those who have worked and are still working in close collaboration with us to make our job easier. I would also like to thank all the doping control officers who persevered even when threatened.”
Regarding the issue of revealing the names of cheaters, Mr Larue explained that the SNADC and the Ministry of the Arts, Culture and Sports are still revising their position on the matter.
“What we are doing now is a national programme and it is not a must for us to name the cheaters. But the minute we start going tough on athletes who are taking masking agents to minimise the chances of them testing positive, the results of sophisticated tests done in overseas laboratories will be forwarded to the World Anti-doping Agency (Wada) who will in turn inform the international federations of the outcome. At this point, the names of cheaters will automatically be revealed, just like it is done in the world of sports.”
It is to note that since May 12, 2006, the SNADC had only been doing random tests at sports venues. Later this year, targeted tests and 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 – will also be done as is common practice all over the world.
In one year, out of 643 tests carried out, a total of 76 local sportsmen and women, coming from six of the more than 30 sports practiced here, tested positive. The six sports are volleyball, football, basketball, handball, athletics and cycling. Most of the offenders were caught using recreational drugs like cannabis and marijuana and even opium.
G. G.