Former Georgia captain Merab Sharikadze has been suspended for 11 years for anti-doping violations following a World Rugby investigation, with 5 Los Leros gamers and one employees member additionally suspended.
Sharikadze, a 32-year-old middle who has performed greater than 100 video games for Georgia, is dealing with the heaviest penalty for falsifying urine samples over an extended time frame forward of the 2023 World Cup.
Giorgi Shkoidze (6 years), Rasha Kumaradze (3 years), Milian Modevadze (3 years), Otar Rashki (3 years), Rasha Romidze (9 months) and Dr Nutsa Shamatava (9 years) are additionally banned from collaborating in rugby actions.
World Rugby, working in partnership with WADA, was first alerted when irregularities in urine samples had been recognized by the athlete passport management programme.
Initially, the rationale was that the urine samples had been altered to cover performance-enhancing substances, however proof has been discovered to help the gamers’ claims that the tampering was to hide their use of hashish and tramadol.
The Georgia Rugby Union has additionally been charged with misconduct for bringing the sport into disrepute after quite a lot of gamers and employees “intentionally did not adjust to anti-doping obligations”.
The fees are upheld and the union should comply with monetary sanctions and implement anti-doping reforms.
World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin mentioned: “This case demonstrates the significance of operating a strong, science-led anti-doping program that mixes organic profile evaluation, testing and long-term storage capabilities.”
“Our intensive four-year investigation has helped establish disruptions to our doping management processes and sends a transparent message that World Rugby takes all anti-doping points very critically and is a steadfast champion of fresh sport.”
