Visagie wins appeal

It's not often that an athlete found guilty of taking banned substances and banned manages to overturn the original decision but that is exactly what Springbok prop Cobus Visagie has achieved on appeal. Visagie was found guilty on February 20th, 2001 by an independent doping tribunal of transgressing the doping regulations of the South African Rugby Football Union (SARFU), the International Olympic Committee and the International Rugby Board and suspended for two years.

But his recent appeal which was heard by Jannie Lubbe (SC), a member of the SARFU Judicial Committee, Chris Heunis, chairman of the SARFU Judicial Committee, and Dr Dimitri Constantino, a medical practitioner with extensive experience in sports medicine was upheld. Lubbe, who chaired the hearing, announced that the appeal was to be upheld and that the premise that the appellant is guilty of a doping offence be set aside.

He also declared that the sanction imposed is set aside, that the deposit paid by the appellant should be refunded to him, and that written reasons for the above finding would be supplied at a later date. A case of win, win, win for Visagie who is now free to resume his career.