Doping suspension of four years for former Springbok Elton Jantjie
The South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS) announced on Thursday that Elton Jantjies, a former fly-half for South Africa, has been banned from rugby for four years for taking a prohibited substance.
A member of the Springbok World Cup-winning team in 2019, he tested positive for the drug clenbuterol in August of last year, which some bodybuilders take to shed weight. It also helps asthmatics by opening up their airways and can increase an athlete’s endurance. The 33-year-old Jantjies pledged at the time to establish his innocence, but SAIDS CEO Khalid Galant told the South African media that he had been barred.
Galant informed the News24 website that the former Springbok’s window of opportunity for an appeal had closed. Jantjies, who understudied Handre Pollard when South Africa won the World Cup for the third time in Japan five years ago, has suffered yet another setback. When Jantjies was detained in 2022 on an international trip to Johannesburg, he was accused of intentionally causing property damage. Later, the accusations were withdrawn.
A media article later that year said he was having an affair with Zeenat Simjee, the dietician for the Springbok team. They both refuted the charge. Jantjies played for South Africa’s, Japan’s, and most recently, Agen, a French second-tier team, in addition to making 46 Test matches for the Springboks and scoring 335 points.