WADA have confirmed there was never any real doubt that Jarryd Hayne would have been ineligible for the Olympic Games under the anti-doping code that rules both the Olympic Games and World Rugby.
I wrote at length a couple of days ago about the issues raised by former ASADA boss Richard Ings around Hayne’s eligibility for competition at Rio.
Ings had a point. Nothing in the code covered sport switchers, especially in non-WADA-compliant leagues such as the NFL.
He pointed out that if someone had retired from a sport with a registered testing pool, then wanted to restart in a different sport, also with a registered testing pool, they would have to wait the six months as dictated by the code.
But it turns out that’s not how the code was interpreted in this case.
More Jarryd Hayne:
» “Half a million, wow”: Hayne unaware of secret $500,000 deals
» Why Hayne shouldn’t make the Fiji sevens side
» NFL to the Olympics, but where will the Hayne Plane land in 2017?
» Jarryd Hayne announces NFL retirement, aims for Olympic Games
WADA spokesperson Maggie Durand told The Roar that, as a code-switcher, the rules were such that Hayne could not be considered a retired athlete, thus he would not have to submit to the six-month testing requirement.
“There is no rule under 2015 Code and International Standards, nor for the Rio Games under the International Olympic Committee Anti-Doping Rules, that makes it mandatory for an athlete , planning to take part in the Olympics (or another international competition), to be available for testing six months ahead of the competition,” Durand said.
“Under the Code, there is only such a rule for an athlete that is in a Registered Testing Pool (RTP) for a Code signatory sport, then retires and wants to return to competition. In this case, he/she must give six months prior written notice to his IF, NADO and WADA ahead of the competition. (Code Article 5.7.1)
“In the case of Jarryd Hayne, we understand that he has not retired from rugby union, but rather from rugby league, and so WADA has been in touch with World Rugby who advise us that upon selection for Fiji, and passing appropriate eligibility rules, he will be put in an RTP.”
So he wasn’t retired from rugby union, and he’s free to enter the testing pool like all Fijian sevens players. He’s just one of the crew, now.
This follows World Rugby’s statement from a day ago that Hayne would indeed be eligible.
“World Rugby is committed to the highest-possible anti-doping standards. The WADA-compliant World Rugby Regulation 21 mirrors the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code and the WADA International Standard for Testing and Investigations,” the statement read.
“It does not require a player to be included in a testing pool for a defined period of time prior to selection if they are being selected for international competition for the first time.”
So there you go. There was nothing to fear about Jarryd after all. However, for a brief moment, the code did have us all worried…
Objective
Guest
Sounds like Ings went off half cocked
Patrick Effeney
Editor
Richard is probably best read with an eye to the greater point he's trying to make. Seems to me like he's concerned with the consistency of the application of rules across all sport, rather than trying to be nasty to Hayne. And yes, in all likelihood he does ramp up his opinion, and that's why people listen to him.
Patrick Effeney
Editor
It's an odd term to use, and speaking to Richard Ings, he was more concerned about the vagaries around the Code and its terminology than trying to crush Hayne's dream.
MJB
Guest
Real rugby being which version? The one that has 7, 9, 13 or 15 players?
Steve
Guest
We knew this because of Nate Ebner about 2 months earlier .
Sluggy
Roar Guru
Hayne's a sensational athelete. I would love to see him have a go in real rugby.
Sluggy
Roar Guru
Come on Nerval, tell us why the village sport played in two states of Oz, and a couple of counties in Engerland compares with the real version played across all continents in multiple countries. Face up comrade, the Olympic version is real 7s. Personally, I would love to see Boyd and Thurston released by their NRL clubs from the lite version to play in enough 7s tournaments to qualify for Rio. Make it happen.
Paul
Guest
Yep, now it's simply a matter of he's not ready. You cannot just walk into the world's best team of a sport you have probably only seen on TV 3 months before the biggest competition in history. Nobody is that good.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
I worked for a while in sports integrity. Nobody - drug agencies, sporting federations, law enforcement - listen to him, he is rightfully ignored. He's just a massive blowhard, an incompetent so-and-so. It seems as though nagative comments about Ings were moderated out until it has been shown what a loudmouth attention seeker he is. This is not the first or last timehe has shot off an opinion and been found to be totally wrong
moaman
Roar Guru
" never any real doubt that Jarryd Hayne would have been ineligible" <------------------doesn't mean what you meant to say,does it? ;-)
nerval
Guest
"real" rugby v "unreal" rugby
MJB
Guest
No, now he's just in danger of missing out due to not being named in the London squad.
Al
Guest
Surely the requirement is to be in an RTP for the six months prior to competition unless you happen to line up a strange series of exceptions, like Hayne does at the moment. If he does go back to League, I'd expect that as long as he doesn't leave all RTPs in the intervening period, that his six months starts from his time with Fiji 7s. It should rule him out of a freak comeback in Origin 3 though.
Sluggy
Roar Guru
So, if he goes back to the NRL after Rio,does he sit out 6 months? Or do they count from when he is ''in an RTP" as part of the Fiji sevens squad? The NRL is, or at least was, WADA compliant, so maybe he just needs to give them the 6 months notice, but it would be an odd outcome if he can play real rugby during that period, but can't play the lite version.
Brett McKay
Expert
No, this is the one I'm referring to:
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Good to have that cleared up.
Marcus
Guest
Ings' first tweet on the subject began with a sarcastic "Slight problem mate...". Not sure Andrew Webster (who I believe you are referring to?) was involved until later? I just read the Webster article and had already written the following comment., The guy is a rent-a-quote failed doping administrator who is every lazy journo's dream. Time for him to ship off back to obscurity. Our agreement is probably more along the lines of "lesser minds rarely differ", but I am just over Mr Ings' constant grasp for involvement in any anti-doping topic. His white-anting of ASADA since has been embarrassing.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
I think it was more the gloating manner of Ings comments, directed at Hayne that people took objection to though Brett. Sounds like a A Grade Flog.
Brett McKay
Expert
To be fair Marcus, it was a Courier Mail journo on Twitter who first asked the question of Richard Ings, who simply replied - and then expanded - based on his knowledge. And the questions raised were all valid, furthermore, and World Rugby has responded in kind. And in a remarkably short period of time, too..
Marcus
Guest
I guess Mr Ings' gun-jumping tweet is yet another illustration of the correctness of ASADA's decision not to renew his contract. His bids for relevance and media coverage are yet more and more desperate. Give it up Richard. It has been 6 years since you left. Or more accurately, weren't asked back. Go back to a quiet life.