Anti-Doping Tips

Always check out any medication before taking it when you are sick. Many medicines contain banned substances. You should check out the medicine with your team doctor or with SAIDS (SA Institute for Drug Free Sport) (021) 761 8034, www.drugfreesport.org.za. As a professional sportsman you are subject to anti-doping testing at any time.

If you use an inhaler or regulatory take medicine prescribed by your doctor for an ongoing condition you must apply to SAIDS for a TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemption). If you’re not sure how to do this contact Emile at SACA on 083 613 5717.

Supplement Taking
1 October 2010

As a professional cricketer you should try to avoid taking supplements (eg mass builders, energy drinks etc). Supplements are not formally regulated and some could contain banned substances.

Players may or may not be aware that there has been recent reports of a number of athletes across a number of sports testing positive to a substance named Methylhexaneamine.

Methylhexaneamine is classified as a S6 stimulant on the WADA Prohibited list and is prohibited In-Competition

(ie : it is not a prohibited substance for out of competition testing purposes).

It was first included in the Prohibited List in 2009.

In addition, the ICC’s Anti Doping Policy contains this substance as a prohibited In-Competition substance.

If a player tests positive to Methylhexaneamine ( In- Competition) then the player can face a suspension from the game for a period of up to 2 years.

There is evidence that this substance is present in Supplements and other products.

Using supplements is at a players own risk, generally because supplement manufacturing processes can lead to their contents and substances varying from batch to batch. Due to the non reliance in the manufacturing processes, WADA and other Doping Organisations will not advise whether a particular Supplement contains prohibited substances or not.

We are aware that a number of cricketers use Supplements for various aspects of strength and recovery, so it is important that players seek advice before taking supplements of any nature.

Players need to avoid all Supplements that contain the substances named in the below table.

ICC Anti-Doping Code
19 January 2009

The new ICC Anti-Doping Code came into effect on 1 January 2009. The Code is WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) compliant and its provisions have serious implications for international players.

Both FICA and SACA endorse the existance of a credible and uniformly applied anti-doping code to ensure that international cricket remains a clean and drug-free sport.

The ICC Anti-Doping Code introduces:

• measures to enable uniform drug testing in all countries and at all matches
• an International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP) into which a number of South Africa’s top players fall
• both in and out of competition testing for the players in the IRTP
• provisions requiring players in the IRTP to file ‘whereabouts’ information to enable out of competition testing
• a mechanism for a similar code to be adopted in South African domestic cricket
• strict penalties, including bannings, for anti-doping violations

The new code presents many challenges for players, and SACA assists them in their understanding of the code and its requirements.