IRB celebrates Keep Rugby Clean Day in Dubai
The International Rugby Board has announced USA Rugby star Carlin Isles as a new IRB Anti-Doping ambassador on ‘Keep Rugby Clean’ day at the Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens.
The IRB’s Keep Rugby Clean programme is an awareness campaign to promote tournaments free of drugs, and to underline the fact that there is no place for doping in rugby.
Isles, a former sprinter who has a personal best over 100 metres of 10.13 seconds, becomes the eighth official player ambassador of the global education and awareness programme spear-headed by the IRB.
“It is an honour and a privilege for me to become an IRB Anti-Doping ambassador, joining these other wonderful rugby players,” said Isles, who is competing for USA at the Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens alongside two other ambassadors in the Sevens game, South Africa’s former world player of the year, Cecil Afrika, and New Zealand’s double World Cup winner, Carla Hohepa.
“I am passionate about playing Rugby Sevens for my country on the world stage and feel blessed to have been given this opportunity. In international sport it is important for us as athletes to know that we are competing against other clean athletes, and it is reassuring for us to know that people are out there constantly making sure that is the case,” added Isles.
To mark their support for the IRB’s ongoing awareness and educational campaign, on 29 November all 28 of the men’s and women’s international teams competing in the HSBC Sevens World Series and IRB Women’s Sevens World Series events in Dubai are to warm up for their matches sporting red ‘Keep Rugby Clean’ T-Shirts.
Carla Hohepa, who along with Canada’s Heather Moyse was the first women’s Anti-Doping ambassador in rugby, said: “I am proud to say that I’m 100% pure kiwi and I am proud to be involved in the Keep Rugby Clean programme. It is important that we educate people, and most importantly youngsters coming into the game, that we are all out there playing on an even playing field.”
In 2012 the IRB conducted 1542 tests, which resulted in 21 Anti-Doping Rule Violations. In-competition tests made up 33%, while 67% were conducted out-of-competition.
IRB Anti-Doping Manager for Testing and Education, Ilaria Baudo, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Carlin into our team of ambassadors, all of whom are extremely passionate about maintaining and strengthening rugby’s strong principles in the area of anti-doping. As a world class sprinter who has only recently joined our sport, Carlin is a wonderful role model, especially for youngsters coming into the game of rugby.”
IRB Anti-doping ambassadors:
Cecil Afrika, South Africa
Vincent Clerc, France
Felipe Contepomi, Argentina
Bryan Habana, South Africa
Carla Hohepa, New Zealand
Carlin Isles, USA
Heather Moyse, Canada
David Pocock, Australia
Sam Warburton, Wales
Courtesy of IRB
