The Uganda Rugby Medical Society (URMS), in collaboration with the Uganda Olympic Committee, organized an online anti-doping education session on Friday, March 6, 2026. The session targeted rugby players and support staff to raise awareness about prohibited substances and anti-doping rule violations.

The webinar, themed “The Prohibited Drugs List and Anti-Doping Rule Violations,” featured presentations from URMS President Steven Buyungo, Vice President Alex Oboth, Timothy Mugabi, and Doping Control Officer Gloria Nalwoga.

The session highlighted the role of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code in promoting clean and fair competition in sports.

Dr. Buyungo explained that doping goes beyond testing positive for banned substances. He said it includes 11 anti-doping rule violations. Four of these apply specifically to athletes, such as evading sample collection or failing to provide whereabouts information. The other seven apply to both athletes and support personnel, including tampering with samples and possession of banned substances.

He cited the case of Elton Jantjies, a South African rugby player who has been banned since 2024 for testing positive for a beta-2 agonist. He also mentioned the lifetime ban given to the doctor of former cyclist Lance Armstrong for supplying performance-enhancing drugs.

“It is not just the athletes; it is the support staff as well,” Dr. Buyungo said, emphasizing the principle of strict liability, where intent does not excuse violations.

Nalwoga explained examples of tampering, such as diluting samples. She also noted that possession of certain substances must be justified through mechanisms like Therapeutic Use Exemptions.

During the question-and-answer session, Aya Nakitanda emphasized the importance of education in preventing doping cases.

“Because we are educating our athletes, we have relatively very few cases of doping,” she said.

Dr. Oboth recommended the website GlobalDRO.com as a resource for checking substances, while Dr. Mugabi encouraged athletes to use the ADEL app by WADA for educational modules.

URMS also announced plans to conduct in-person sessions for national teams and schools despite limited resources, in line with WADA standards under the Uganda Sports Act 2024.

The webinar highlighted rugby’s commitment to clean competition, with participants encouraged to spread awareness about anti-doping rules.