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Doping: serious education needed

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WORLD Anti-Doping Agency (Wada)-accredited doctor Nick Munyonga says the Premier Soccer League, Zifa and the media should take the lead in educating players

WORLD Anti-Doping Agency (Wada)-accredited doctor Nick Munyonga says the Premier Soccer League, Zifa and the media should take the lead in educating players and the public on doping following the provisional suspension of Dynamos midfielder Devon Chafa on August 30 by Fifa.

REPORT BY WELLINGTON TONI

Chafa tested positive for a prohibited substance before the June Zimbabwe-Egypt World Cup qualifier in Harare and has been hit with a 30-day suspension, which can be extended by another 20 days by the world football governing body if investigations are not completed.

He is banned from training and playing in any domestic, international, friendly or official matches and is expected to appear before a Fifa Disciplinary Committee on September 9, or alternatively provide a detailed explanation by September 16 before the conclusion of his case.

“The nature of the case means it would be foolhardy for us not to make efforts to educate people on this. We have been exposed and it is unfortunate because of lack of information.

“While we are the technocrats and we don’t own the players, it is now up to Zifa to make the environment conducive by conducting workshops across the board on doping,”

Munyonga said while addressing the media on Monday to confirm the player’s suspension.

Chafa weighed in: “There is not much education on sports medicine in the country. I did not know anything and it’s not what I wanted. It’s a lesson learnt by the football fraternity in Zimbabwe.”

Chafa did not request a sample B test.

“If we were to carry out these tests locally, it would cost $200 to test in-competition players and $150 for out-of-competition players. There is also the cost of sending the samples via DHL to the laboratory in Bloemfontein, South Africa where they are tested.

“There are also transportation costs for the doping control officer,” Munyonga said.

He said both Zifa and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) should have a budget for doping education and he was willing to provide his services for free.

Clubs in Zimbabwe do not own stadiums and most of the facilities in the country do not have anti-doping facilities, save for FC Platinum’s Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane. If found guilty, Chafa will receive a sentence ranging from a warning to two years: “Right now we are sitting on a two-year sentence, so we are working from that maximum down to the lowest which is a warning on the Chafa case,” Munyonga said.

He added: “However, if he does get a sentence of 30 days, he will not have to serve anything because of the period he has served during the provisional suspension. So whatever sentence, if he is found guilty, will take cognisance of these 30 days.”

For Zimbabwe, unfortunately, doping seems to happen time and again, unnoticed though after almost half of Zimbabwe’s Under-20 rugby stars who participated in the Junior World Rugby Trophy finals in Utah, the United States, last year in July tested positive to banned substances.

The Young Sables lost all three group matches against Japan, Georgia and Canada before winning a face-saving seventh and eighth play-off against winless Russia.

The International Rugby Board (IRB)’s anti-doping team, which conducted random tests at the tournament, is preparing charges against as many as 13 players from the 26-man squad.

This problem seems to have started at the Cottco Schools Rugby festival where the authorities were made aware of some of the instances, but did nothing to take corrective measures.

Dominic Rumbles, the IRB’s head of communications said then: “You will be aware that the IRB as a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, operates a zero-tolerance policy towards drug cheats in sport and undertakes an extensive annual programme of education and testing equating to over 5 000 tests.

While its prevalence among Zimbabwean sportspersons cannot be ascertained due to lack of testing, it is believed marijuana or mbanje is one of the most used substances.

Said Munyonga: “Obviously, we cannot say how prevalent the use of the drug is because they (sportspersons) are not being tested.

But substances are put on the prohibited list because of two of the following: it is performance-enhancing, it is dangerous to health and it is against the spirit of fair play.

Mbanje is not performance-enhancing, but it was banned in January 2004 because it can also cause damage four times more than normal tobacco.

According to the American Council for Drugs Education, although cannabis contains at least 400 different chemicals, its main mind-altering ingredient is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol).

The amount of THC in marijuana determines the drug’s strength, and THC levels are affected by a great many factors, including plant type, weather, soil, and time of harvest.

Sophisticated cannabis cultivation of today produces high levels of THC and marijuana that is far more potent than pot of the past.

THC content of marijuana, which averaged less than 1% in 1974, rose to an average 4% by 1994.

How does it affect you?

Effects of smoking are generally felt within a few minutes and peak in 10 to 30 minutes.

They include dry mouth and throat, increased heart rate, impaired co-ordination and balance, delayed reaction time, and diminished short-term memory.

Strong doses prompt more intense and often disturbing reactions including paranoia and hallucinations.

Most of marijuana’s short-term effects wear off within two or three hours.

The drug itself, however, tends to linger on.

THC is a fat-soluble substance and will accumulate in fatty tissues in the liver, lungs, testes, and other organs.

Two days after smoking marijuana, one-quarter of the THC content may still be retained.

It will show up in urine tests three days after use, and traces may be picked up by sensitive blood tests two to four weeks later.

Marijuana use reduces learning ability. Research has been piling up of late demonstrating clearly that marijuana limits the capacity to absorb and retain information.

Dangers of marijuana (Source: American Council for Drugs Education)

  • Impaired perception and judgment
  • Diminished short-term memory
  • Loss of concentration and co-ordination
  • Increased risk of accidents
  • Loss of motivation
  • Diminished inhibitions
  • Increased heart rate
  • Anxiety, panic attacks and paranoia
  • Hallucinations
  • Damage to the respiratory, reproductive, and immune systems
  • Increased risk of cancer
  • Psychological dependency

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