The good news is that the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport has reported that more 100 schools in South Africa have agreed to do drug testing and that the first five tests per school will be on the house. However thereafter it could cost between R2800 and R3000 per internationally approved test. This means for a school to test only it’s 1st XV starting players like Paarl Gim intends doing, it could set them back R30000 if the free tests are included in the charge. However as it’s known, drug taking is not just limited to 1st XV rugby players nor is it exclusively a concern of rugby or just sports for that matter. In truth the costs for schools to stay ahead in their fight against drugs could become astronomical.
The following schools are hosting drug testing workshops in their regions:
22-Jan-13: Grey High School (Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape)
29-Jan-13: Bishops (Cape Town, Western Cape)
29-Jan-13: St John’s (Johannesburg, Gauteng)
12-Feb-13: Kearsney (Botha’s Hill, KZN)
The South African Institute of website contains some useful information on its website as well as a section where you can do your part to clean up sport by report a doping incident directly to them.
@beet: Google the concept of the cycling “biological passport”. We often hear folks at the side of the field commenting on the sudden growth of a boy but it is all unsubstantiated. Perhaps if bio details were to be recorded at the start of every year ….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_passport
Good to see the pingback on Tank Lanning’s blog. Well done beet.
[…] School Boy Rugby blog reports that the first five tests per school (at a cost of between R2800 and R3000 per […]
Surely the schools can see when say a Grade 10 boy who weighs 75kg is suddenly a beast of a 100 kgs by the end of Grade 11. I think part of the problem is that i think certain teachers are the one supplying the junk to them anyway
@Rugger fan: Just like the over-age testing, I feel that the key to success is not necessarily to test everyone or even do random testing as is often the case in drug tests. Rather those in control of selecting for tests need to just open their eyes and often the obvious is right there to be seen.
If a boy looks too muscular, if his dimensions change drastically over a period of short time, if he’s having trouble controlling his aggression or if he is a top performer at sport, place him on the testing shortlist. I think a mini battle is won if kids who fit into the above categories are all clean.
Thanks for this info. I wonder if there is a cheaper test (like the cheap malaria tests, pregnancy tests or HIV tests one can get at Dischem). While not being particularly accurate, they give a sense of accuracy that could be used in initial (or regular) screening.
Because just like Lance Armstrong – if players are only tested in pre-season – it allows for abuse later in the season.
Don’t know whether schools will have the nads to do it, but write it into a contract that the parents will be liable for the costs should a schoolgoer fail a drug test.
I just cannot see schools affording the costs – 1sts, 2nds, age-group A teams = R210,000 South African Ront. Eeeisch. Will have to make it the 5 free ones, plus 5 randoms per team = R60 grand.