World Rugby warns future stars on the potential dangers of nutritional supplements

• Olympic stars and rugby greats say: ‘Take supplements – take a risk’
• New campaign launched on Keep Rugby Clean Day at U20 Championship in Italy
• Players urged to educate themselves by visiting keeprugbyclean.comWorld Rugby has launched a major new programme warning young players about the potential risks associated with using nutritional supplements to increase size or improve performance.With supplement use a reality across society, the governing body is committed to providing the best possible level of advice and education to young rugby players as they embark on potential careers in the sport.

  A cornerstone of the educational campaign is a video outlining the importance of maintaining a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle as well as the potential risks and impact associated with supplements. The video was released on Keep Rugby Clean Day at the U20 Championship in Italy.

  CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE KEEP RUGBY CLEAN SUPPLEMENTS VIDEO >>

  Former Argentina captain and WADA Athlete Committee member Dr Felipe Contepomi, who appears on the video, talked about the risks, including contamination of some supplements, and said: “Players at all levels of the game should understand that if they are thinking about taking nutritional supplements, they need to know the potential risk of doping and possible long-term health risks associated with taking them.

  “It is absolutely possible to perform to your best at any level of the game through maintaining a healthy, balanced diet, good training and good rest. I encourage everyone to think seriously about this.”

  The video, which has been shown to the future stars of world rugby at anti-doping workshops during the U20 Championship, includes a strong message from three-time Olympic medallist Lauryn Williams, who was successful at both the winter and summer Games by maintaining a healthy, balanced diet.

  “I think that an athlete should put their confidence in food and not in supplements,” said Williams, who is also a WADA Athlete Committee member.

  “I made it to four Olympic Games and got three medals from it so I think I did pretty well with just food!”

  “If you decide to take supplements then you’re not really confident in yourself. If that’s the way you’re thinking then it’s not the best way to go about it. I want to go, I want to be the best that I can be, I want to work as hard as I possibly can, I want to give myself the best nutrition, I want to do it in a way that is going to preserve my integrity and make people really proud of me at the end of the day,” she says.

  “You are responsible for everything that goes into your body. You can think you’re doing the right thing but you’re the one that’s going to serve the ban.”

  VIEW WORLD RUGBY SUPPLEMENT GUIDELINES >>

  On Keep Rugby Clean day, World Rugby is reminding athletes:

  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE – Under anti-doping regulations, the only person responsible for what goes into your body is YOU! Players cannot claim ignorance because of the directions or advice of others.

  DO YOU REALLY NEED THEM? – Many supplement companies claim their products have benefits, but some are not clearly supported by scientific research.

  DO YOUR RESEARCH – Unless supplements are batch tested, there are no guarantees that what you’re taking in a supplement is totally free from banned substances and contamination is a risk. Check out keeprugbyclean.com for the 2015 WADA prohibited list.

  NO GUARANTEES – products marketed under the same brand in different countries MAY contain different ingredients. The only way to be sure is to batch test.

  MAINTAIN A BALANCED DIET – Players are likely to benefit from a healthy, well balanced diet which should be put in place by an expert. The best way to eliminate the risk of dietary supplements is to avoid taking them.