Tested positive for doping during five-nation tourney:

Three Sri Lanka rugby players banned by IRB

Ravi LADDUWAHETTY

The International Rugby Board has banned three Sri Lanka rugby players - Prop Forward Eranga Swarnatilleke (Navy), No 8 forward Keith Gurusinghe and Fullback Saliya Kumara ( Kandy) having been tested positive for drugs.

The three players have been tested positive following the recent Sri Lankan encounters versus the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong in the five nation tournament.

The IRB has banned these three players from taking part not only from playing representative rugby at all levels, but also from training coaching, training and all aspects of rugby till the inquiry is completed, Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) Secretary Lasitha Gunaratne told the Daily News last night.

He also said that the IRB, after the tests and the inquiries have been completed, will also decided on what kind of ban they will impose on the three players.” It could be a ban for one, two or three years as the case may be and that is at the sole discretion of the IRB which hosted the five national tournament, he said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Anti Doping Organisation Dr. Geethanjana Mendis said that his team was studying the reports and the dicslosures would be made available to the International Rugby Board.

We have done four tests and three have been positive, he said, but was extremely tight lipped as to what the substances were.

He also expressed surprise at the conduct of these national players being tested positive for these drugs in the light of all Sri Lankan national sportsmen and sportswomen been explicitly told that they were required to take all medicines only from the Institute of Sports Medicine. Not only have they been required to take medicine from the Institute, but they have been also told to keep their coaches informed what medication or drugs have been taken, he said.