Gala player serves two year doping ban
2 Jul 2019Gala player Craig Russell has been banned from the sport for two years following an in-competition test at a match between Gala and Edinburgh Academicals in October 2017.
Russell tested positive for female fertility drug clomiphene which is classed as a specified substance and prohibited at all times under World Anti-Doping regulations.
The player was found to not have, nor ever had, a therapeutic use exemption to use clomiphene.
Russell has been serving an interim ban since October 2017 and will be free to resume playing competitive rugby again in October 2019.
He becomes the eighth Scotland based player to be banned for anti-doping offences since 2010.
A spokesman for Scottish Rugby said: “This has been a long, drawn out case but has now been concluded and demonstrates the strict liability stance taken by Scottish Rugby and UK Anti-Doping. It is the responsibility of every player to play and train cleanly and not seek to take short-cuts through the use of prohibited substances.
“We use an intelligence led approach and will act on any credible information received to instigate testing either in or out of competition.”
