Rugby Union Player Kieran Goss serves three-month ban for Anti-Doping Rule Violation
Rugby union player Kieran Goss has served a three-month ban from sport following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for the Presence of a Prohibited Substance.
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) collected a urine Sample from Mr Goss In-Competition on 23 March 2024 at the National League 1 game between Richmond RFC and Chinnor RFC. Analysis of his Sample returned a positive test result for THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol).
THC is the main psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant and is classed as a Substance of Abuse on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List. The substance is prohibited In-Competition. Shorter bans of three months can be issued in cases involving a Substance of Abuse if its ingestion takes place Out-of-Competition and in a context unrelated to sport performance.
Mr Goss was notified by UKAD on 26 April 2024 that he may have committed ADRVs for the Presence and Use of a Prohibited Substance and was provisionally suspended. The player admitted to ingesting THC and explained that he had smoked four “joints of hashish” on the evening of 20 March into the early hours of 21 March.
UKAD instructed a scientific expert to examine whether the player’s explanation accounted for the concentration levels of THC found in his Sample. The scientific expert concluded that Mr Goss’ account was a plausible explanation for the laboratory finding.
Mr Goss was charged by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) with an ADRV for Presence of a Prohibited Substance. He admitted the charge and accepted the three-month period of Ineligibility asserted by the RFU.
Recognising the time he has spent provisionally suspended (from 26 April 2024), Mr Goss’ suspension was lifted in August 2024. He is free to resume participating in sport.
Notes to Editors
Technical terms and more information
Please note, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, capitalised terms used in this announcement have the meaning given to them in the UK Anti-Doping Rules and/or World Anti-Doping Code.
On bans from sport involving THC
Shorter bans of three months are available in such cases involving THC if the athlete can prove that the substance was ingested Out-of-Competition and in a context unrelated to sport performance. These bans can also be reduced further to one month if the athlete completes a UKAD approved rehabilitation course.
