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MELBOURNE - Australian rugby winger Wendell Sailor has withdrawn his appeal against a two-year doping ban from the Court of Administration for Sport, his lawyers said on Monday.
The 32-year-old Sailor was suspended by the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) in July when it was revealed he tested positive for cocaine after playing for the NSW Waratahs in a Super 14 match against the Brumbies in April.
Sailor, a dual code rugby union and league international who played for the Wallabies 37 times, including the 2003 World Cup final defeat to England in Sydney, said he wanted to resume his playing career once the ban was completed in 2008.
"I have decided to withdraw my appeal in the Court of Arbitration of Sport against the two-year ban imposed on me by the ARU anti-doping tribunal," Sailor said in a statement released by his legal team.
"I cannot stress enough that I did not and would never have attempted to cheat in sport through any means."
"Unfortunately I, like many other young Australians, fell to the off-field temptation of a so-called 'party drug'.
"Part of me would like to appeal the decision to prove that I was not attempting to cheat, but ultimately I accept that it was my error of judgment that has placed me in this position."
Sailor said that while he was banned from playing competitive sport, he would commit himself to educating young athletes on the dangers of banned substances.
The offer was welcomed by Australia Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA).
"The case is a strong reminder to all athletes of the serious consequences under the World Anti-Doping Agency Code for those caught using cocaine," authority chairman Richard Ings said in a statement.
"By warning other athletes about the dangers of drug use, he can play an important role in protecting the integrity of Australian sport."
Sailor has endured a colourful off-field career since making his Wallaby debut in 2003. He was given a two-match suspended sentence for a nightclub incident while touring South Africa in 2005.
He was also fined A$500 ($580) and suspended for one match by the Waratahs after another South African nightclub incident in February, but the ARU imposed an additional two-match ban and A$3500 fine for bringing the game into disrepute.
- REUTERS
