Twoyear ban for Kapene for doping violations

SOUTHLAND club player Shanan Kapene has received a twoyear suspension from rugby after a New Zealand Rugby Judicial Committee found him guilty of antidoping violations.

Kapene (31), who used to play for Woodlands but played for Bluff in a lower grade this season, admitted to buying and using the banned substances: testosterone enanthate, clenbuterol and tamoxifen in 2014, which he said was to aid weight loss and gain muscle for aesthetic reasons, not to enhance his sports performance.

Kapene, a loose forward, said he did not know the substances were prohibited.

At the time, Kapene was a registered club rugby player in Southland.

The antidoping charges were brought against Kapene by Drug Free Sport New Zealand following an investigation initiated by MedSafe into the operation of the website NZ Clenbuterol. He admitted the allegations and agreed to a provisional suspension when confronted with the allegations in August this year.

The judicial committee agreed to backdate the start point of the suspension by 12 months from the date of the provisional suspension due to Kapene’s prompt admissions and the delays in the proceedings.

Drug Free Sport New Zealand and Kapene filed joint submissions supporting the proposed sanction and commencement date.

His suspension was backdated to August last year.