US EditionGeorgia caught in doping scandal as players allegedly swapped urine samples
Five players admitted to swapping urine samples to avoid detection, with collusion from Georgian Anti-Doping Agency staff enabling advance warnings, World Rugby and WADA said.
- On Friday, World Rugby and the World Anti-Doping Agency announced six Georgian men's rugby international players and a member of the team's support personnel were suspended over an orchestrated scheme involving recreational drugs and sample substitution.
- World Rugby's athlete passport management programme detected irregularities in urine samples before the Men's Rugby World Cup 2023 in France, prompting WADA to launch Operation Obsidian in August 2023.
- WADA found Manager One texted advance notice of testing to an Entourage Member, who shared it in a team chat, while doping control officers often failed to witness urine provision.
- WADA has lost confidence in the Georgian Anti‑Doping Agency and referred Operation Obsidian's findings to the Government of Georgia, while five players were found guilty and the sixth remains suspended pending discipline.
- Follow-Up actions include WADA extracting samples from other Georgian athletes and Witold Banka warning that further sanctions and wholesale reforms may follow, after the doping scandal.
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36 Articles
Six players and one member of the Georgia International Rugby Team staff were suspended by World Rugby, announced this Friday, February 13th. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) denounces a system of...
Georgian rugby rocked by major anti-doping scandal
Six Georgia rugby players and a team official have committed anti-doping rule violations, the World Anti-Doping Agency and World Rugby said on Friday after an investigation uncovered a scheme involving alleged sample substitution and advance warnings of drug tests.
Georgia caught in doping scandal as players allegedly swapped urine samples
Six Georgia rugby players and a team official have committed anti-doping rule violations, the World Anti-Doping Agency and World Rugby said on Friday after an investigation uncovered a scheme involving alleged sample substitution and advance warnings of drug tests.
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