Rugby Union Player Sanctioned
Sport Integrity Australia acknowledges that Rugby Australia has imposed a one-month period of Ineligibility on Louis Bartley-Saena for the Presence of a Metabolite of a Prohibited Substance, namely 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (metabolite of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)).
Mr Bartley-Saena, who was playing for the Tuggeranong Vikings at the time, returned an Adverse Analytical Finding from an In-Competition doping control test on 20 April 2024.
Mr Bartley-Saena’s sample was analysed at the Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory, part of the National Measurement Institute, and the presence of 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (metabolite of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)) was detected.
THC is listed under Class S8 (Cannabinoids) under the World Anti-Doping Code – International Standard – Prohibited List – 2024 (2024 Prohibited List). The substance THC is a Specified Substance and is prohibited In-Competition only. It is also classified as a ‘Substance of Abuse’ under the 2024 Prohibited List.
Under Article 10.2.4.1 of the Australian National Anti-Doping Policy 2021 (ANADP), 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 Bartley-Saena’s case, all requirements for a reduction in the period of Ineligibility under Article 10.2.4.1 of the ANADP were satisfied.
Rugby Australia imposed a one-month period of Ineligibility on Mr Bartley-Saena commencing on 22 August 2024.
Mr Bartley-Saena was ineligible to participate in any sports that have adopted a World Anti-Doping Code compliant anti-doping policy between 22 August 2024 – 21 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
The psychoactive chemicals derived from cannabis and their synthetic counterparts, called cannabinoids, are listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as Prohibited In-Competition under the ‘S8 Cannabinoid’ substance class. These substances are also included under the Substances of Abuse category, as a drug which is prohibited for use ‘In-Competition’.
The prohibited substance cannabis is reported to cause the below health effects:
Recreational / acute use effects: nausea and vomiting, hallucinations, memory impairment, coordination impairment and delusions, paranoia or psychosis at high doses. Importantly for athletes, there is an increase in heart rate following marijuana use (first 3 hours). This could put increased strain on an athlete’s heart and has the potential to lead to an irregular heartbeat.
Chronic use effects: bronchitis (from smoke irritation on the respiratory tract), mood disorders and psychosis, Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (persistent vomiting) with secondary dehydration. Importantly for athletes, chronic marijuana use can be associated with a decrease in cardiovascular response to exercise (due to reduced sympathetic and increased parasympathetic activity) which has the potential to impair athletic performance.
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.
