Springbok prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye has been issued with two formal doping fees, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) has confirmed.
Khalid Galant, Chief Government Officer of SAIDS, advised Rugby 365 that the 26-year-old obtained a cost letter on Wednesday.
“We charged the athlete with two anti-doping rule violations,” Galant mentioned. “One cost for specified substance [anastrozole] and the opposite cost for unspecified substance [DHEA].”
Regardless of the fees, Galant careworn that Ntlabakanye is “nonetheless not suspended” and stays eligible for choice at each franchise and worldwide stage till a listening to is concluded.
The affirmation of a second violation follows SARU’s August 24 announcement of an “hostile analytical discovering” in random testing. On the time, SARU mentioned Ntlabakanye disputes committing a doping offence. They acknowledged the substance was prescribed by a specialist doctor in early 2025 for medical causes and brought below the supervision of a union-appointed physician.
SARU added that he was clear in his declarations, acted in good religion, and adopted medical protocol. The union confirmed he is not going to be thought-about for the tour to New Zealand whereas he prepares his defence.
In accordance with the World Anti-Doping Company (WADA), anastrozole is a banned aromatase inhibitor often utilized in most cancers therapy. WADA notes that dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is extensively assumed to reinforce efficiency by changing to testosterone, though “the literature on the ergogenic results of DHEA consumption is however very scant.”
The end result of the listening to may have a serious influence on Ntlabakanye’s profession. Earlier this yr the prop shed 20kg in a programme that included farm work, after beforehand fighting weight administration.
Precisely why a SARU-appointed physician prescribed substances listed on WADA’s prohibited record stays unresolved.
