SA sports physician confident football is making strides against doping

Over the years, there have been many positive cases of doping, but more recently, the numbers have reduced drastically.

Speaking exclusively to SABC Sport at a three-day workshop organised by CAF for the COSAFA region, Dr Ngwenya says the fight against doping is ongoing.

"It is a process and I feel that we are winning for the fact that we are testing more doping control officers in each and every country. It means that as much as we are willing, we want to make sure that we eliminate it, yes, elimination cannot be 100% but it's a work in progress,” Ngwenya said.

“We are doing what we can but we want to stretch it such that each and every competition, at least there is some sort of control that is being done when it comes to doping."

READ: Thabo September pleased with Chippa United efficiency

Dr Ngwenya explains the role of the workshop and why it was important to have it.

"We are having a workshop to train new doping officers in the COSAFA region. So, we've got two representatives from each and every 14-member association of COSAFA, one female and one male representative and all of them are doctors,” he added.

“So, essentially, what we are doing, we are training them to be doping control officers so that when there is a CAF match or rather any mission that is sanctioned by CAF, there can be the doping control officers."

Dr Ngwenya says when it comes to doping offences, stats are lopsided between males and females simply because women’s football is still fairly new, and more tests are conducted on the men’s side compared to the women’s game.

"Women's football is quite new, in terms of statistics because we've been testing more men’s teams, so unfortunately, then the statistics will say more males are testing positive.

“However, it is because women's football is still new and we are testing women athletes but because it's still pretty much new even with the doping issues, even the demand there with women's football is still not at the same level when it comes to men's football."