Fresh twist in doping case of disgraced Springbok Aphiwe Dyantyi

Springbok Aphiwe Dyantyi has reportedly opted to appeal his four-year doping ban in a fresh twist to the ongoing saga. The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) handed Dyantyi a four-year ban in December after the wing failed to prove that he took multiple performance-enhancing drugs in error as he purported.

SAIDS said in a statement on December 14 that it “confirms and accepts” the decision rendered by the doping hearing panel on the Dyantyi matter.

“The three-person panel accepted the guilty plea of the athlete to the doping charge,” the statement said.

“They found that the athlete had failed to satisfy the burden of proof to establish that his positive dope test was not intentional.

“The Panel relied on the framework for sanctions in the World Anti-Doping Code that outlined a sanction of four years for the doping offence in this matter.”

Dyantyi has effectively been banned from participating in sport from 13 August 2019 – when he was provisionally suspended – to 12 August 2023.

SAIDS also stated, “the athlete’s rights are reserved to seek relief through lodging an appeal should he believe that he has substantive grounds for an appeal”.

Dyantyi had 21 days in which to lodge an appeal and according to SA Rugby mag, the wing has opted to fight the decision.

SA Rugby Mag reported that the appeal was filed within the prescribed deadline and he has outlined his grounds for appeal.

SAIDS will now liaise with the appeal board and the athlete’s legal team to co-ordinate a sit-down date for the hearing.

Following the news of the ban, Dyantyi’s agent, Gert van der Merwe has always remained adamant that it “makes no sense”.

In December, Van Der Merwe told the Rapport that an appeal is possible. However “the problem is that there are costs associated with it”.

An appeal will be a costly affair for the 26-year-old, who has not received a salary for the past 18 months.

In 2019 news first broke that Dyantyi’s mandatory B sample had come back testing positive for three banned substances following a national training camp.

His mandatory B sample confirmed the presence of banned substances methandienone, methyltestosterone and LGD-4033 in June 2019.

Consequently, the 2018 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the year was suspended from all forms of rugby and missed the 2019 World Cup in Japan.