AFL issues drugs warning
Posted
The AFL is tightening its drug policy, with chief executive officer Andrew Demetriou saying the league has the right to change the result of matches retrospectively if they have evidence the result has been affected by drugs.
In an interview with The Australian newspaper, Demetriou said finals would fall under the rules, meaning that one day a grand final's result may be altered due to a drug cheat.
"If more than one player at one club tests positive to performance-enhancing drugs, the league can act under rule 18 of the anti-doping code," he said.
"The commission has the power to overturn the result of matches, fine the club, dock premiership points or even suspend the club."
While the retrospective action requires more than one player to test positive, Demetriou told the newspaper if a single player tested positive on match day, the AFL could act immediately.
Demetriou compared the approach with that of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has the power to strip an entire relay team of its medals if only one athlete tested positive.
This was the case when Marion Jones revealed she used performance-enhancing drugs at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
