Rugby League Player Sanctioned
Sport Integrity Australia acknowledges that Queensland Rugby League (QRL) has imposed a one-month period of Ineligibility on Rory Woodall for the Presence of a Metabolite of a Prohibited Substance, namely Benzoylecgonine (Metabolite of Cocaine).
Mr Woodall, who was playing for the Mackay Cutters rugby league team at the time, returned an Adverse Analytical Finding from an In-Competition doping control test on 5 May 2024.
Mr Woodall’s sample was analysed at the Sports Medicine and Research Testing Laboratory in Utah, USA, and the presence of Benzoylecgonine (Metabolite of Cocaine) was detected.
The substance Cocaine is listed under Class S6.A (Non-Specified Stimulants) under the World Anti-Doping Code – International Standard – Prohibited List – 2024 (Prohibited List). The substance Cocaine is a Non-Specified Substance and is prohibited In-Competition only. It is also classified as a ‘Substance of Abuse’ under the Prohibited List.
Under Article 10.2.4.1 of the Leagues Anti-Doping Policy 2023 (Leagues Policy), if an Athlete tests positive to a Substance of Abuse, then the Athlete’s period of Ineligibility may be reduced to three months if the Athlete is able to prove that the substance was ingested or Used Out-of-Competition and was unrelated to sport performance.
In addition, the Athlete’s period of Ineligibility calculated under Article 10.2.4.1 of the ANADP may be further reduced to one month if the Athlete satisfactorily completes a Substance of Abuse treatment program approved by Sport Integrity Australia.
In Mr Woodall’s case, all requirements for a reduction in the period of Ineligibility under Article 10.2.4.1 of the Leagues Policy were satisfied.
QRL imposed a one-month period of ineligibility on Mr Woodall commencing on 15 August 2024.
Mr Woodall was ineligible to participate in any sports that have adopted a World Anti-Doping Code compliant anti-doping policy between 15 August 2024 – 14 September 2024. He was also not permitted to compete in a non-Signatory professional league or Event organised by a non-Signatory International Event organisation or a non-Signatory national-level event organisation.
Additional information on the Prohibited Substance
Cocaine is illegal and highly addictive. It is a stimulant drug which speeds up the messages travelling between the brain and body, causing high levels of dopamine to be released.
In 2022, the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre acknowledged a large increase in cocaine-related deaths in Australia since 2012, with 398 known deaths in the last five years.
International studies have shown cocaine puts added strain on the cardiovascular system during exercise. The studies found that cocaine use by athletes has been associated with acute and chronic cardiovascular disease, which can lead to coronary artery aneurysms, aortic dissection, rupture, vasculitis, and stroke.
Cocaine does have a performance enhancing effect when used In-Competition and is a Prohibited Substance under the Prohibited List (prohibited In-Competition). As a stimulant, cocaine can produce an intense ‘rush’ with users feeling a sense of alertness, arousal, and increased confidence.
All prohibited substances are added to the Prohibited List because they meet at least two of the three following criteria:
- The substance has the potential to enhance or enhances performance.
- The substance represents an actual or potential health risk to the Athlete; and
- The substance violates the spirit of sport.
