Botswana in another doping scandal
A pair of local rugby sevens national team players faces a four-year ban from sport after they failed a random doping test conducted last November at the African qualifiers’ tournament for this year’s Olympic Games held in South Africa.
The two players who turn out for two university clubs in Botswana were part of the 11-man squad that played against Tunisia, Morocco and Namibia in Pool C of the qualifiers played at Kempton Park Stadium until November 23. Information reaching Sun Sports is that the local organizing body of rugby was given until December 24 to have had its players respond to the findings of the test, but failed to comply with the requirement.
Had the players responded within the stipulated time, they would rather face a two-year ban. It is an added offence to fail to respond within the given time and there are claims that the local rugby body could not reach the players because official activities at rugby had already been halted for the festive period, and their office had already closed.
Responsive authorities have since declined to comment saying it was too early to say anything lest the case of the two be compromised. “We can’t share any detailed information for now to avoid the athletes and even the doping authorities being compromised,” a rugby official told Sun Sports.
Should the two players be found guilty, it will bring to four (4) the number of Botswana athletes to have tested positive in recent years after the Athletics’ duo of Amantle Montsho and Onalenna Baloyi were banned.
The Botswana rugby sevens team was made of Ketshedile Matenanga, Omphile Debula, Ernest Eddy, Lesedi Cherry, Alpheous Mokotedi, Kaelo Mogotsi, Jeremy Dobrowsky, Kagiso Molefhi, James Shamwaka, Emmanuel Ntshiwa, Koorapetse Lesotlho and Dent Patrick. They could not go past the group phase with only Kenya qualifying for the Olympics by emerging the eventual tournament champions.
For a long time, the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) has been putting measures in place to sensitise the local sporting fraternity about doping issues, but the latest scandal will call to question the extent to which local athletes take the ongoing doping education initiatives seriously.
BNOC CEO Tuelo Serufho was at pains this week when asked to comment on the rugby saga and their role in ensuring that such cases do not occur. “For now it will be difficult to comment in any great detail until the case has been concluded. Otherwise we risk prejudicing one or more of the parties involved in the case,” he told Sun Sports, adding: “As BNOC it will be difficult to tell how the case will conclude as due process is being followed. For now we can only encourage athletes, coaches and all other members of the entourages to acquaint themselves with issues of doping.”
Serufho expressed disappointment at the recurring doping scandals engulfing the country, saying by now they expect athletes and their immediate handlers to be wiser. “For starters, a list of banned substances is released on an annual basis, which the BNOC publishes on its website. Both the BNOC and the Africa Zone VI RADO deliver education programmes targeted at various groups including athletes, coaches and administrators. In 2015, a workshop was even held for medical practitioners,” he said.
The said players can still appeal the findings based on the first test, but they will then be subjected to a second B sample test which, should it also return positive, will see the players banned for a possible four years.
