Rugby: Springbok Elton Jantjies suspended 4 years for doping

Rugby player Elton Jantjies has been suspended for four years after testing positive for a banned substance, the South African anti-doping body announced on Thursday.

Jantjies, 33, said in August that he had tested positive for Clenbuterol, which can be used to burn fat, and would fight to prove his innocence. The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) said on its website that Jantjies was suspended, which could end his career.

Jantjies, a flyhalf, was part of the team that won a second Rugby World Cup for the Boks in Japan in 2019. They retained the title in France last year. Jantjies was selected in South Africa's extended training squad ahead of the 2023 World Cup but did not make the final squad.

SAIDS said Jantjies tested positive for Clenbuterol in June last year and no hearing was held into the matter.

Jantjies' last club was Agen in France.