Club player suspended for importing banned substance

NEWS: A Dunedin club rugby player has been suspended for importing a banned substance.

The New Zealand Rugby Judicial Committee has banned Carlin Wilkinson-Ballantine for four years after a package addressed to him was intercepted by the NZ Customs Service in February 2024 and found to contain clenbuterol and tamoxifen.

Wilkinson-Ballantine, who played for Dunedin's Blue Sharks this year, admitted to purchasing clenbuterol but denied purchasing the tamoxifen.

The committee ruled he had violated the anti-doping rules for his purchase of clenbuterol, but was not comfortably satisfied that he ordered the tamoxifen.

He was banned from all sports for four years, backdated to June 10.

Clenbuterol and tamoxifen are banned in sports at all times.

Clenbuterol is an anabolic agent. It has no approved medical use but is used in a doping context to reduce body fat and gain muscle mass.

Tamoxifen is a hormone and metabolic modulator, used medically to treat certain types of breast cancer. In a doping context, it is used to counter the side effects of steroid abuse.

Commission chief executive Rebecca Rolls said intentional doping can harm all those who play sport, not just the person using banned substances.

"Doping doesn't just put an individual's health at risk, it denies all those who play sport the chance to compete on a level playing field," Rolls said.

"No New Zealand athlete should lose a competition, medal or place on a team to someone who has doped to get there.

"That's why we have sports anti-doping rules - to protect athlete health and the right to fair play, whatever our level of competition."