Chiliboy Ralepelle. (Gallo Images)
- Former Springbok hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle’s professional career is in all likelihood over after an independent tribunal handed him an eight-year ban for a third doping-related charge.
- The 33-year-old, who has maintained his innocence throughout, has 21 days to appeal the sentence.
- Meanwhile, Bok winger Aphiwe Dyantyi is still waiting for a hearing date as Saids deals with Covid-19 related challenges.
Former Springbok Chiliboy Ralepelle’s rugby career is over after being handed an eight-year ban on a doping charge.
In a statement on Wednesday, the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (Saids) confirmed that an independent tribunal, following several adjournments, found no meaningful mitigating circumstances for the 33-year-old testing positive for Zeranol, an anabolic agent, back in January 2019.
“The athlete challenged the doping charge and was afforded the opportunity to seek legal counsel to present his case and version of events to the tribunal panel,” Saids said.
“The panel reached a decision first on the merits of the case where they found the player guilty of a doping offence.”
Ralepelle’s substantial sanction is down to him incurring a doping-related suspension for the third time in his career.
“(He) had previously tested positive on two separate occasions while playing overseas. The Zeranol positive case was his third positive dope test during his playing career within a 10-year period, however the player’s first positive case was ruled a No Fault decision and he then received a reprimand,” Saids said.
“The panel had to refer to sports jurisprudence to determine the appropriate sanction which they ruled to be the player’s second doping offence.”
The former Bulls and Sharks No 2 has 21 days to appeal the sentence.
Meanwhile, while there’s a more concrete time frame in place, Aphiwe Dyantyi is still waiting for an opportunity to state his case against his doping suspension.
The Springbok winger, who burst onto the international scene in 2018, tested positive for methandienone, methyltestosterone and LGD-4033 during routine testing at a Springbok alignment camp last year.
Named World Rugby’s international newcomer-of-the-year for his exploits two years ago, Dyantyi has been in limbo since his sanctioning last August.
But Saids insists that his hearing will be conducted virtually within the next two months.
Much of the delay has been Covid-19 related.
“That case hasn’t been heard yet‚ we are probably going to do a virtual hearing within the next two months,” Khalid Galant, Saids’ chief, told TimesLIVE.
“We just have to put together the rules and regulations for the virtual hearing. We have to develop a procedure and protocol for a virtual hearing and then the athlete‚ his counsel and the arbitrating panel have to agree because this virtual hearing is a new thing.
“Initially we were supposed to have the hearing in early to mid-April but he had to have a couple of supplements analysed. Unfortunately with the lockdown‚ labs who do the analysis of the supplements were closed‚ but I believe they have opened and we should be receiving the results of the supplements soon.
“The athlete sent a few supplements that he claimed could have been the source.”
– Compiled by Sport24 staff
