Welsh player facing doping scrutiny
REPORT: Wales and British and Irish Lions player Rhys Webb is facing a potentially career-ending ban.
He has reportedly returned a positive test for growth hormone.
This report follows an unannounced screening conducted by the French Anti-Doping Agency.
The French publication L’Equipe reports that the test is understood to have taken place during a training session in July.
Webb could receive a four-year ban if found guilty, which would end his rugby career.
This development marks the first time that an athlete has been implicated in using growth hormone in since 2016, largely due to the difficulty in detecting the synthetic growth hormone within the narrow timeframe it is detectable in the body.
However, according to L’Equipe, a scientific breakthrough emerged in 2021 that harnessed an indirect marker (IGF1) to considerably extend the window of time for detection of the substance to about the span of a week.
“The implicated club is presently in a phase of anticipation, pending the course of the inquiry,” affirmed Jean-Baptiste Aldigé, the President at Biarritz Olympique.
Formerly at the Ospreys, Webb embarked on a fresh chapter in his rugby career by enlisting with Biarritz this season, who compete in the Pro D2 league.
The 34-year-old made a brilliant debut, notching up a try in their 35-18 victory over Colomiers in his first match for the club.
However, Webb was missing for their next match, failing to grace the line-up for the subsequent clash with Valence-Romans, as revelations regarding his positive test reached the club’s upper echelons earlier this week.
In response to the unfolding situation, Jean-Baptiste Aldigé said: “We have indeed been apprised of these developments. The ongoing inquiry is being closely monitored by the club, which stands distanced from any implication.”
It’s been reported that Webb failed to disclose his use of the substance to the team doctor.
Growth hormone is typically used to treat children with growth difficulties during childhood but it does have other therapeutic uses.
However, the substance is commonly used by bodybuilders due to its profound anabolic effects.
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