Ex-Springboks forward Chiliboy Ralepelle loses appeal, 8-year doping ban stands

Former Springboks forward Chiliboy Ralepelle has lost his appeal against an eight-year doping ban. The 33-year-old was banned on July 1 and despite appealing the decision to prevent him from playing until January 2027, that suspension will now stand. 

A statement by the South African Institute for Drugs-Free Sport announcing the appeal decision read: "The independent appeal panel upheld the original sanction of eight years.

"Ralepelle tested positive for the banned anabolic agent Zeranol during a Sharks rugby training session on January 17, 2019. The athlete contested the doping charges in front of an independent doping hearing panel.

"This panel found the athlete guilty of the doping offence and took into account that it was his second doping offence within a ten-year period. The panel relied on the sanction’s framework in the World Anti-Doping Code that granted them the jurisdiction to hand down an eight-year ban from sport.

"The athlete lodged an appeal against the ban and also the drug testing process that he was subjected to. An independent appeal panel heard the grounds for appeal. The appeal panel found that the panel that heard the hearing in the first instance had not erred in their application of the sanction’s framework in the World Anti-Doping Code.

"The appeal panel therefore upheld the original sanction of eight years. Ralepelle’s ban from sport is backdated to January 17, 2019, for eight years. If the athlete does not accept the decision, he may seek relief at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland."

A statement in July announcing the ban for Ralepelle, the 25-cap Springboks hooker who also played for the Bulls and Toulouse, had stated: “The athlete challenged the doping charge and was afforded the opportunity to seek legal counsel to present his case and version of events to the tribunal panel.

“The panel reached a decision first on the merits of the case where they found the player guilty of a doping offence. (He) had previously tested positive on two separate occasions while playing overseas. The Zeranol positive case was his third positive dope test during his playing career within a ten-year period. 

"However the player’s first positive case was ruled a No Fault decision and he then received a reprimand. The panel had to refer to sports jurisprudence to determine the appropriate sanction which they ruled to be the player’s second doping offence.”