Pretoria - A young 2016 Olympics aspirant wrestler, whose hopes were dashed due to his suspension, turned to the High Court in Pretoria in a bid to salvage his dreams.
The problems of the Limpopo teenager started during a trip to Egypt in May last year to participate in the African Cadet Championships. The cadet team was made up of wrestlers aged 15 to 17.
Some team members who travelled to Egypt, claimed that on the eve of the championships, the teen (who cannot be identified as he is not yet 18), was administered a drip with “yellow liquid” by his coach.
Team manager Shirley Bartlett said she entered the room of a team member and saw the teenager on a bed with an intravenous drip in his right arm. There was allegedly 750ml of a yellow liquid in the drip.
The substance in the drip was said to be a rehydration liquid.
A head coach at the SA Wrestling Federation, Nico Coetzee, said in a statement before court he also discovered two intravenous drips in the teenager’s luggage months later as they were heading to the Youth Olympic Games in China.
It was also claimed the teenager was part of a group who became “terribly drunk” one night during the Egypt tournament.
An investigation was held into the alleged incidents and the SA Wrestling Federation subsequently decided to formally charge the teenager with an anti-doping violation.
The teenager indicated to the court that this finding would be challenged in court at a later stage. He, however, asked that his ban on participating further in international events, be lifted.
He said he needed to take part in events so he could qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. If he is selected for the South African team and found not guilty, his way would be paved to further his sport. If he was not allowed to qualify, but acquitted of any wrongdoing, his sporting career would be severely hampered, he said.
The teenager denied any wrongdoing and said those who said the drip was inserted intravenously were mistaken. He claimed he simply drank the contents of the drip.
He also noted that the drug tests came back negative regarding a banned substance. The teenager also complained that no date was yet set for a hearing into his alleged transgressions and said it was unfair to expect him not to participate in any events.
Judge Johan Louw ordered the ban be lifted for now, provided an application to review the decision to suspend him was lodged within 30 days.
Pretoria News