New Test Confirms Clean Rugby World Cup
The International Rugby Board has announced that blood samples taken at the Rugby World Cup 2007 have all come out negative for Human Growth Hormone (hGH).
The new test for the detection of the hormone was made on the samples, which had been frozen and stored at the World Anti-Doping Agency for future testing and detection purposes.
The samples were taken Out of Competition, which is part of WADAs extensive In Competition and Out of Competition testing programmes and educational campaign.
While the IRB conducted 1,278 tests across its major international tournaments in 2007, nearly 60 percent of the tests were conducted Out of Competition which resulted in five anti-doping rule violations returned. Additionally, the IRB’s Member Unions and National Anti-Doping Agencies conducted a further 2,849 tests with 26 anti-doping rule violations committed – the lowest figures since 2002.
From 2004 to 2007, 19 players were suspended by the IRB for a variety of prohibited substances.
That the results for hGH all came back negative marks a battle won for the anti-doping efforts in the ongoing war against drug use within the sporting world.
