Late last week Sevens player Lavinia Gould was stood down from rugby for two years after failing a drugs test, caused by something within a supplement she was taking.
Cricketer Jesse Ryder found himself in the same situation earlier this year when he was given a six month ban for unknowing taking a banned substance which was present in a weight-loss supplement.
Gould tested positive for methylhexaneamine (MHA), which is considered a performance enhancing drug.
According to this press release MHA can be found in dietary supplement Beta-alanine, a pre-workout supplement. Beta-alanine is famous for the “tingle” many who take pre-workout supplements will feel (can that really be a good thing for your body?). Gould was taking Genetix beta-alanine and P30 Protein supplements. These supplements were not chosen by New Zealand Rugby.
Within the IRB ruling, Gould said she was advised the products were “safe” and that she had “never knowingly used performance enhancing drugs”. This sounds like a familiar line.
Did Gould approach NZ Rugby for advice over the supplement? Or Drug Free Sport NZ? Who gave it to her? Did she know that this was banned while she was competing? Was her supplement accidentally contaminated by her body building sister? It is an unfortunate situation either way.
But why did she get two years and Ryder only gets six months? In the IRB finding, it says Gould’s two year suspension is at the lower level because she unknowingly took the substance.
If this is at the “lower level” then what is Jesse Ryder’s suspension? They both took banned substances without knowing, so why the massive gap in suspension times? Is it because Ryder has a bigger profile? Yes we are dealing with two different sports, but these sports have the same drug-free guidelines as outlined by WADA (World Anti Doping Agency).
Both these examples also raise interesting issues about supplements. If you can’t pronounce the ingredient then do you really want it in your body? Do you know what the long term affects are for a short term gain? Should there be tighter regulations around supplements in this country? Should supplements be given a “tick” of approval by Drugfree Sport NZ (Much like the heart tick on many of our foods)?
Yes, it would be a costly exercise, but it’s money well spent. We are a world leading country when it comes to sport and do we really want our reputation tarnished because of the supplement industry?
The issue is that this problem will not go away. I will not be surprised if more athletes get caught out in this manner. Yes top athletes receive advice and education, but it’s proving not to be enough.