Luke Troy, a Player from Newcastle in Australia, has received a two year sanction for the Attempted Use of Prohibited Substances following an appeal by the International Rugby Board to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The Player purchased supplement products over the internet which contained prohibited substances (Testosterone and DHEA - Anabolic Agents as listed in the WADA Prohibited List) from overseas bodybuilding supplement companies. The supplement packages were intercepted on their entry to Australia by the Australian Customs authority. This information was passed onto the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA), who initiated an investigation and brought a case forward to the Australian Rugby Union who conducted the first instance hearing.

This decision and two year sanction highlights that Players who order supplements over the internet which may contain prohibited substances, run the risk of committing an anti-doping rule violation and being sanctioned even though they may not actually receive or administer the substances they ordered. Players should take due care when purchasing any form of supplement especially over the internet.

The IRB is committed to keeping rugby drug free and has been at the forefront of the movement against drugs in Sport. The IRB implements substantial In Competition and Out of Competition testing programmes all over the world and operates a proactive education programme which involves the successful Outreach and Keep Rugby Clean campaigns in partnership with WADA.

A copy of the final CAS decision for this case is available here (PDF format)>>