Three more rugby players have been suspended for doping offences after a former secondary school rugby player was handed a four-year suspension by New Zealand Rugby earlier this month.
A New Zealand Rugby Judicial Committee today said it has completed three further anti-doping hearings resulting in all players receiving a two-year ban from playing rugby for the possession and use or attempted use of prohibited substances.
In a statement released today, New Zealand Rugby says the charges were brought against Brandyn Laursen, Tukiterangi Raimona and Lionel Skipwith by Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) following an investigation initiated by MedSafe into the operation of the website Clenbuterol New Zealand.
In the case of Brandyn Laursen the judicial committee found that he had been in possession, used or attempted to use the anabolic agent, Clenbuterol in 2014 and 2015.
The committee accepted Laursen's submissions that he had taken the banned substance to aid off-season weight-loss and the violations were not intentional.
He was banned from two years, backdated to 4 June 2017.
In the case of Tukiterangi Raimona, the judicial committee found that he had been in possession, used or attempted to use the banned anabolic agent dianabol (metandienone) in January and February 2015.
He admitted taking dianabol to help him better cope with the demands of the manual work and gym routine he had at the time.
The committee suspended him for two years, backdated to 28 May 2017.
In the case of Lionel Skipwith, he submitted that he did not know that Clenbuterol was a banned substance as he was a club rugby player and had not received any education on the anti-doping regime.
The committee found his breach of the regulations was unintentional, and he was suspended for two years backdated to 26th September 2017.
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