- South African Institute for Drug Free Sport chief executive officer Khalid Galant said there was nothing wrong with former Springbok wing Aphiwe Dyantyi approaching the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
- Dyantyi was handed a four-year ban for testing positive for three prohibited substances.
- Dyantyi's status as an international athlete at the time of his testing means he can bypass a national appeals process and go straight to CAS.
South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (Saids) chief executive officer Khalid Galant said there was nothing untoward with former Springbok wing Aphiwe Dyantyi approaching the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland to appeal his four-year doping ban.
The 26-year-old Dyantyi tested positive for three banned substances and was suspended in August 2019. His B-sample also came back with a positive test.
He was slapped with a four-year ban in December last year, but that ban was backdated to the date of his suspension.
Galant said Dyantyi had the CAS route available to him because of his status as an international athlete who fell under the jurisdiction of World Rugby at the time when he tested positive.
"It is normal procedure because of his stature as an international athlete. He doesn’t have to lodge his appeal on a national level. That’s how international rules are and international athletes have those rights. There’s nothing different or untoward about the appeal," Galant said.
"Anti-doping is never beyond reasonable doubt. It’s on the balance of probabilities and it depends on what the his papers are with regards to what he’s appealing against.
"He may be appealing the guilty finding, which is highly unlikely because he accepted the finding against him. He’s probably lodging against the length of the sanction or for a reduced sanction. However, his legal counsel should have the finer details."
