Rugby League athlete receives three-month sanction
Sport Integrity Australia acknowledges the decision of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and Rugby Football League (RFL) to impose a three-month period of Ineligibility on Australian athlete Thomas Deakin
Sport Integrity Australia acknowledges the decision of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and Rugby Football League (RFL) to impose a three-month period of Ineligibility on Australian athlete Thomas Deakin, for the Presence of Prohibited Substance and its metabolite, namely Cocaine and its metabolite Benzoylecgonine.
Mr Deakin, an Australian athlete who was competing for the Huddersfield Giants in England, United Kingdom, returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from an In-Competition doping control test on 13 April 2025.
Mr Deakin’s sample was analysed by the Drug Control Centre, King’s College London, a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory in London, and the presence of Cocaine and its metabolite Benzoylecgonine were detected.
The substance Cocaine is listed under Class S6.A (Non-Specified Stimulants) under the World Anti-Doping Code – International Standard – Prohibited List – 2025 (2025 Prohibited List) and is a Non-Specified Substance prohibited In-Competition only. Cocaine is also classified as a ‘Substance of Abuse’ under the 2025 Prohibited List.
The original press release can be found here: https://www.sportintegrity.gov.au/news/doping-violation-updates/2026-02/rugby-league-athlete-receives-three-month-sanction
