WRU must clean up doping in the sport

AFTER reading the Western Mail report, “Welsh rugby facing steroid health crisis”, I asked myself: what is the difference between the WRU and Russia? Not a lot. One tampered with samples and the other turned a blind eye, apparently.

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) intelligence tells UKAD and the WRU there is a problem of performance enhancing drug (PED) abuse, but they do not tackle the issue. Is this due to the cost to the WRU? Is it double standards?

In other sports, if there is a known problem with an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV), UKAD then targets associated others. In rugby they try to educate. So one gets banned for an ADRV, the rugby players continue to play. So much for clean sport within an equitable and fair system.

Just look at the report – it uses terms like “turn a blind eye”; “no zero tolerance”; “failure to raise a team”. World Anti-Doping Agency Rules 2015 allow persons who aid in avoiding an ADRV to be sanctioned. Anyone sanctioned?

Sounds familiar? In Russia it does. UKAD and WRU should be ensuring a clean sport … are they? If the WRU will not deal with it, then UKAD should take action.

The social/community aspect of PED abuse is the responsibility of government, police and law. The WRU is there to ensure a clean sport, so please do it. Adrian Thomas Cefn Cribwr, Bridgend