What anti-doping rules apply to under-18 and school athletes in South Africa? Testing at school and at sport events, medicines, supplements, TUEs, what happens in a test, and the penalties for minors.
Yes. There is no minimum age. The SAIDS Anti-Doping Rules (2021) apply to all athletes and support staff who take part in events and activities run or recognised by any South African national federation or its members, and to anyone using services provided by government, SAIDS or the federations. Taking part counts as agreeing to be bound by the rules. SASCOC and its member federations have adopted them automatically.
Every athlete is responsible for knowing what counts as a violation and what is on the Prohibited List. Under-18s are treated differently in a few ways:
Elite 16 and 17 year olds (in a testing pool or with senior international experience) are not Protected Persons, but are still Minors.
A new World Anti-Doping Code takes effect on 1 January 2027; these answers reflect the rules in force in 2026.
Yes, in two different ways.
1. SAIDS doping control at sport events. The SAIDS Anti-Doping Rules bind every athlete who takes part in events, competitions and activities organised, authorised or recognised by a South African national federation or its members (provinces, clubs, leagues), at any age. A learner playing in a federation-sanctioned tournament can be selected for testing like any other athlete.
2. School drug testing under the South African Schools Act (section 8A). Since 24 December 2024, "drug" in the Act expressly includes performance-enhancing and prohibited substances as well as illegal drugs. The principal or delegate may:
The school must tell the parent within one working day (if practicable) that a test was done, and tell the learner and parent the result as soon as it is available. A positive result can lead to disciplinary proceedings under the school's code of conduct, but the school may not bring criminal proceedings against the learner because of the test.
SAIDS applies WADA's Prohibited List, updated each year. The 2026 List came into force on 1 January 2026.
Prohibited at all times (in and out of competition):
Prohibited in-competition only:
Prohibited in particular sports: P1 Beta-blockers, in sports such as archery, golf, shooting, darts, billiards and motorsport.
Substances of Abuse (cocaine, heroin, MDMA/"ecstasy" and THC) carry shorter bans if use was out of competition and unrelated to sport.
All listed substances are prohibited. "Specified" substances are still banned; the label only affects how the penalty is worked out.
SAIDS recommends asking your doctor or pharmacist first, then double-checking yourself:
What the Medication Check does not cover: dietary and sport supplements, herbal products, traditional medicines and unregulated products such as CBD oils. SAIDS warns against these because their contents and labels may be inaccurate.
Remember that the Prohibited List changes every year on 1 January, so re-check regular medicines each year. Tell any doctor treating your child that they are an athlete who can be tested.
Often yes, but check the specific medicine against the 2026 Prohibited List.
Asthma inhalers (beta-2 agonists, class S3): prohibited at all times, except these inhaled doses:
| Inhaled medicine | Maximum allowed |
|---|---|
| Salbutamol | 1,600 micrograms over 24 hours, no more than 600 micrograms in any 8 hours |
| Formoterol | 54 micrograms over 24 hours, no more than 36 micrograms in any 12 hours |
| Salmeterol | 200 micrograms over 24 hours, no more than 100 micrograms in any 8 hours |
| Vilanterol | 25 micrograms over 24 hours |
Salbutamol in urine above 1,000 ng/mL, or formoterol above 40 ng/mL, is treated as a positive result unless the athlete proves it came from a permitted inhaled dose. Higher doses or other beta-2 agonists need a TUE.
ADHD medication: methylphenidate, amfetamine and lisdexamfetamine are stimulants (class S6), prohibited in-competition. In-competition runs from 11:59 pm the day before a competition until the end of that competition and its sample collection. An athlete who needs one of these medicines on competition days needs a TUE (in advance for National-Level athletes, retroactively for most others).
Cold and flu medicines: pseudoephedrine is prohibited in-competition above 150 micrograms per millilitre of urine. SAIDS advises stopping it at least 24 hours before competition.
SAIDS advises against them for young athletes. It supports the international consensus that under-18s should not use supplements, including creatine, caffeine, pro-hormones and herbal products, partly because there is very little research on their effects in young athletes.
Why SAIDS warns against supplements:
It is no defence that a supplement was contaminated. Under strict liability the athlete is responsible for anything in their sample. A proven contaminated product can reduce the ban, but not remove the violation.
SAIDS's advice is to focus on a balanced diet, training, rest and recovery, and to see a registered sports dietitian before considering any supplement. Supplements are not covered by the SAIDS Medication Check.
A Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) gives permission to use a prohibited substance or method for a genuine medical condition. Whether you need one in advance depends on the athlete's level.
| Athlete | When to apply |
|---|---|
| National-Level (professional SA licence, in the SAIDS testing pool, or competing in listed national events or selection events) | In advance, before taking the medicine. Have it in place 7 days before an event, and apply as soon as you are selected for a national team. |
| International-Level (as set by the sport's international federation) | In advance, under the international federation's rules. |
| All other athletes, including most school and recreational athletes | A retroactive TUE is allowed: apply only if you are tested while using a prohibited medicine for therapeutic reasons. |
SAIDS recommends that athletes who qualify for a retroactive TUE keep their medical records ready in case they are tested.
How it works: applications go to SAIDS on its TUE application form. SAIDS's Therapeutic Use Exemption Commission (TUEC) decides each application under WADA's International Standard for TUEs. A refused TUE can be appealed (Article 4.4.6). A TUE expires at the end of the period it was granted for.
SAIDS can be reached on (021) 686 1634.
SAIDS tests by collecting a urine or blood sample, in or out of competition, under the World Anti-Doping Code, WADA's International Standards and the SAIDS Anti-Doping Rules.
Your rights during a sample collection session (WADA Athletes' Anti-Doping Rights Act):
The kit: the sample is split into separate sealed A and B bottles. A partial sample is sealed in a secure vault until a full sample can be processed.
After the test: the A sample is analysed at a WADA-accredited laboratory. If it shows a prohibited substance, the B sample can be analysed to confirm it (Article 2.1.2).
WADA's International Standard for Testing and Investigations (2023), which SAIDS applies, has a special annex for athletes who are minors:
Minors also have every athlete's rights in a test, including the right to be accompanied by a representative, to ask for more information, and to receive a copy of the sample collection records.
Refusing is itself a violation. Under Article 2.3 of the SAIDS Anti-Doping Rules, evading sample collection, or refusing or failing to submit to it without compelling justification after being notified, is an anti-doping rule violation, whatever a later test might have shown. This applies to minors too.
Bans under Article 10.3.1:
Having a parent or representative present is recommended for a minor but not compulsory, and a test is not invalidated because one could not be found. The athlete may ask to delay reporting to the doping control station for a valid reason.
Strict liability applies at every age. Athletes are responsible for any prohibited substance found in their sample, whether or not they meant to take it (Article 2.1.1). Results from the competition are disqualified.
Standard bans (Article 10.2):
More flexible bans for Protected Persons (Article 10.6.1.3): if a Protected Person shows No Significant Fault or Negligence, the ban ranges from a reprimand with no ban up to 2 years, depending on their degree of fault (this does not apply to Substances of Abuse). A Protected Person is an athlete who is:
Other reductions:
During a ban the athlete may not take part in any capacity in competitions or activities run by any federation, club or member organisation (Article 10.14.1). They may return to team training for the shorter of the last 2 months or the last quarter of the ban.
A new World Anti-Doping Code takes effect on 1 January 2027; these answers reflect the 2021 SAIDS rules in force in 2026.
Not necessarily. For adult athletes SAIDS must publicly disclose a violation once it has been decided. Under Article 14.3.7 of the SAIDS Anti-Doping Rules, that mandatory public disclosure does not apply when the athlete is a Minor (under 18), a Protected Person or a Recreational Athlete.
SAIDS may still choose to publish, but any optional disclosure in a case involving a minor must be proportionate to the facts and circumstances of the case.
While a case is pending, SAIDS, federations and laboratories may not comment publicly on its specific facts unless responding to public comments made by or for the athlete (Article 14.3.6).
Not automatically. Under Article 11.2 of the SAIDS Anti-Doping Rules, the sanction falls on the individual player who committed the violation.
The team itself is sanctioned (for example loss of points, or disqualification from the competition or event) only if more than two members of the team commit an anti-doping rule violation during the same event period. The event's ruling body may set stricter team rules for its own event (Article 11.3).
Under Article 18.9 of the SAIDS Anti-Doping Rules, every national federation must run anti-doping education in consultation with SAIDS, so your sport's federation is also expected to provide it.
SAIDS can be reached on (021) 686 1634.