South African flag may be taken down at rugby & cricket World Cups for doping body's non-compliance
The South African flag will not be displayed at the rugby and cricket World Cups later this month if its national anti-doping body does not appeal a decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency to declare it non-compliant
South African flag may be taken down at rugby & cricket World Cups for doping body's non-compliance
Show all 6Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The South African flag will not be displayed at the rugby and cricket World Cups later this month if its national anti-doping body does not appeal a decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency to declare it non-compliant.
The consequences of the decision by WADA will come into effect for South Africa on Oct. 14. Its teams are currently playing at those two World Cups.
Khalid Galant, the CEO of the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport, the national anti-doping body, said Thursday it would likely appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by an Oct. 13 deadline, ensuring the sanctions do not come into play. The sanctions would then be suspended until either the appeal is decided or South Africa meets WADA's requirements.
South Africa is also not allowed to host international sports competitions while it is non-compliant. If the issue drags on, the country's flag may not be allowed to be displayed at next year's Paris Olympics and Paralympics.
The decision to rule South Africa non-compliant relates to the country's failure to change its national laws with regard to doping to fall in line with WADA's latest international code, which came into effect in 2021.
Galant said it was “technical” and included the country needing to pass a new law that updates the definition of various doping terms. He said that there was no problem with South Africa's anti-doping program or drug-testing process.
South Africa would become compliant again by changing its law, but that is expected to take much longer because it requires a political process and an act of Parliament. South African Sports Minister Zizi Kodwa said last month that work was underway to amend legislation, although he gave no timeframe for how long it would take.
South Africa is rugby's defending World Cup champion. Its next game at the Rugby World Cup in France is likely to be a quarterfinal match on Oct. 15, if the last round of group play goes as expected. The Cricket World Cup in India started on Thursday and South Africa plays its first game on Saturday.
Bermuda was also declared non-compliant by WADA for not updating its legislation.
___
AP Rugby World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.