IGF Statement re SA amateur Bezuidenhout

The International Golf Federation issued the following statement regarding the suspension of South African amateur, Christiaan Bezuidenhout:

Lausanne, SWITZERLAND, 5 February 2015 – The International Golf Federation announced today that Mr Christiaan Bezuidenhout has been found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the 2014 International Golf Federation Anti-Doping Policy (presence of a Prohibited Substance or its Metabolites or Markers in a Player’s Sample).

The IGF Anti-Doping Hearing Panel concluded that an appropriate sanction would be a period of nine (9) months. Subject to 10.9.1 of the Policy, the Panel found that Mr Bezuidenhout’s sanction shall start on 16 June 2014, the date of the sample collection.

Mr Bezuidenhout shall receive credit against his ineligibility period from 16 June 2014 to 30 January 2015, the date of the decision made by the Panel. Mr Bezuidenhout shall continue to be ineligible from 30 January 2015, the date of the Panel’s decision, until 16 March 2015, the date on which his ineligibility period shall expire.

The results, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes, from any competition that Mr Bezuidenhout participated in, from 16 June 2014 to 1 September 2014 shall be disqualified.

The IGF will have no further comment on the sanction at this point in time.