South African flag may be taken down at rugby & cricket World Cups for doping body’s non-compliance

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The South African flag will not be displayed at the rugby and cricket World Cups later this month if its national anti-doping body does not appeal a decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency to declare it non-compliant.

The consequences of the decision by WADA will come into effect for South Africa on Oct. 14. Its teams are currently playing at those two World Cups.

Khalid Galant, the CEO of the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport, the national anti-doping body, said Thursday it would likely appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by an Oct. 13 deadline, ensuring the sanctions do not come into play. The sanctions would then be suspended until either the appeal is decided or South Africa meets WADA’s requirements.

South Africa is also not allowed to host international sports competitions while it is non-compliant. If the issue drags on, the country’s flag may not be allowed to be displayed at next year’s Paris Olympics and Paralympics.

The decision to rule South Africa non-compliant relates to the country’s failure to change its national laws with regard to doping to fall in line with WADA’s latest international code, which came into effect in 2021.

Galant said it was “technical” and included the country needing to pass a new law that updates the definition of various doping terms. He said that there was no problem with South Africa’s anti-doping program or drug-testing process.

South Africa would become compliant again by changing its law, but that is expected to take much longer because it requires a political process and an act of Parliament. South African Sports Minister Zizi Kodwa said last month that work was underway to amend legislation, although he gave no timeframe for how long it would take.

South Africa is rugby’s defending World Cup champion. Its next game at the Rugby World Cup in France is likely to be a quarterfinal match on Oct. 15, if the last round of group play goes as expected. The Cricket World Cup in India started on Thursday and South Africa plays its first game on Saturday.

Bermuda was also declared non-compliant by WADA for not updating its legislation.

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AP Rugby World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby