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Springbok Aphiwe Dyantyi insisted he hasn't cheated... but B sample result hasn't backed him up
By Liam Heagney
Aphiwe Dyantyi has been formally charged with a doping offence for multiple anabolic steroids and metabolites after his B-sample also tested positive.
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It was confirmed to SA Rugby on Friday that the South African Institute of Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) had detected an adverse analytical finding in the sample collected from Springbok wing Dyantyi in a doping test on July 2.
In a statement, it was claimed that “SA Rugby, the Lions Rugby Company and Dyantyi are working with SAIDS, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and all other relevant authorities on the matter and no further comment can be made at this stage”.
Lions back Dyantyi, capped on 13 occasions by the Springboks, revealed last Saturday that he had requested the testing of the B sample taken while he was attending a South African training camp.
In a media statement issued via his agent Gert van der Merwe last weekend, the 25-year-old denied any wrongdoing. However, was since left out of the Springboks squad for the World Cup and must now mount a convincing defence if he is to avoid a lengthy suspension.
Worrying development in South Africa as Aphiwe Dyantyi has failed a doping test while attending Springboks training https://t.co/zo8fSDPPP1
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 24, 2019
“I want to deny ever taking any prohibited substance, intentionally or negligently, to enhance my performance on the field. I believe in hard work and fair play. I have never cheated and never will,” wrote Dyantyi before the B sample positive was confirmed.
“The presence of this prohibited substance in my body has come as a massive shock to me and together with my management team and experts appointed by them, we are doing everything we can to get to the source of this and to prove my innocence.
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“As a professional sportsman on the national and international level, we get tested on a regular basis. I have been tested before and again since this test. It is part of the job and we all know that each and every player is bound to get tested at least two to four times a year.
“Taking any prohibited substance would not only be irresponsible and something that I would never intentionally do. It would also be senseless and stupid. I underwent a drug test on June 15 (only two weeks prior to the July 2 test) which did not return any adverse finding.”
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