The Kane Situation
August 3rd, 2006 by Geoff Thomsen
Well, I must say this is the most “interesting” off-season we’ve had in a little while. On June 15th, the Edmonton Journal posted a news release containing a report from the CCES stating that the current number one player in the world, Kane Waselenchuk, had tested positive for cannabis and cocaine metabolites after winning the Canadian National Championships (also recently announced by Racquetball Canada in their August 2006 newsletter). The result of this test was a two year ban from competing in Canada, which also included his removal from the Canadian National Team. The news swept the internet with mixed reviews – some contesting the findings while defending Kane’s “personal off-court choices”, and others immediately voiced support for the testing and corresponding suspension. It was still unclear how this would affect Kane’s ability to play stateside, as the IRT has no direct policies concerning drug use (whether recreational or performance enhancing). Fans and racquetball enthusiasts calmly waited for a statement to come from Kane, the IRT, or USA Racquetball, but after two weeks of waiting, nothing was said. Speculation ran amuck, with many questioning Kane’s ability to play in USA Racquetball or IRT sanctioned events.
On July 31st, USA Racquetball finally made an announcement to the state organization presidents that Kane was also suspended for two years from any event sanctioned by USA Racquetball. This decision was made “by the books” as USA Racquetball is sanctioned by the same top level Anti-Doping Agency as Racquetball Canada (WADA), and the suspension applies to all WADA affiliates. Since every stop on the IRT tour is held at a USA Racquetball sanctioned event, this also means that Kane is suspended from playing in any IRT event for two years. The only foreseeable way around this, would be for the IRT Tour to divorce itself from USA Racquetball, and find another solution for insurance and other benefits currently received from them. This would still prevent Kane from playing at the US Open or Pro Nationals, as those events are specifically “owned” by USA Racquetball. There is still some speculation that the IRT is trying to find a way to keep Kane on the court, and that Kane is mounting a legal battle to address issues with the testing circumstances which may get the testing results invalidated. I guess only time will tell – In the meantime, the number spot in the IRT is now up for grabs, and anyone in the top five is capable of taking the title this season.
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