13 Sep 2022

Botswana Premier League (BPL) players should ready themselves for doping tests before start of the season.

In an interview on the side-lines of an anti-doping activation for BPL teams recently, National Anti-Doping coordinator, Fredrick Seno, said they would intensify testing in order to make sure that players remained clean.

The anti-doping activation, Seno said, was critical having realised a lot of gaps in the sport, particularly where teams used paramedics instead of medics during the games.

“We therefore found it imperative to educate team doctors so that they will share information with the clubs to cascade to the players. We don’t want it to come to them as a surprise when we intensify testing,” he said.

Seno explained that it was appropriate that teams engaged doctors or specialists to handle players during a game.

“So we want to make them aware and know about banned medication and which steps to follow to request for exemption if they have players who have certain conditions,” he said.

He also indicated that the activation aimed at mainstreaming anti-doping activities in Botswana sport, adding, they had so far engaged entities like Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) and the Francistown region on issues of anti-doping.

On one hand, Regional Anti-Doping Organisation - Africa Zone VI manager, Andrew Kamanga said the International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (ISTUE) was a mandatory International Standard (IS) which was part of the World Anti-Doping programme.

He said the ISTUE came into effect in 2005 and had since been undergoing revisions, with the aim to provide athletes with access to critical medication and procedures whilst protecting the rights of clean athletes to compete on a level playing field.

He said the process of granting Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) was harmonised across various sport codes and countries.

Kamanga added that doping was rampant and athletes should know that they were strictly responsible for whatever was found in terms of metabolites or markers found to be present in their sample when analysed at WADA accredited laboratory.

He also said according to the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code, there were 11 Anti-Doping Rule Violations which could be the occurrence of amongst others, presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers in an athlete’s sample, use or attempted use by an athlete of prohibited substance or a prohibited method. ENDS