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Former world champion surf lifesaver Morgan Foster received a three-year ban for possessing and trafficking banned substances.
The Sports Tribunal ruled after NZ Customs intercepted a parcel containing peptides and growth hormone stimulants.
Foster admitted breaching anti-doping rules, claiming the substances were for helping another person’s injury.
A former New Zealand world champion surf lifesaver and veteran athlete has been handed a three-year sporting ban for the possession and trafficking of multiple banned substances.
Morgan Foster – who’s home club is the South Brighton Surf Life Saving Club – is regarded as a legend in the Kiwisurf life saving community.
But he now faces a lengthy ban after a Sports Tribunal of New Zealand ruling.
It comes after late September, 2024, NZ Customs intercepted a parcel addressed to Foster containing tesamorelin, ipamorelin, BPC-157 and TB-500.
The ruling said the substances - a mixture of peptides, substances that increase growth hormone secretion and experimental substances - are banned in sport at all times.
Morgan Foster, left, has been banned for three years. Photo / Warren Buckland
Foster admitted to breaching anti-doping rule, saying he had purchased the substances for another person intending to help them manage an injury.
The Sports Tribunal imposed a sanction of three years’ ineligibility based on Foster’s early admission and the low level of seriousness of the trafficking violation.
“It’s disappointing to see an athlete importing banned substances – even more so when the intention is to distribute those substances to a third party,” Sport Integrity Commission general counsel Paul O’Neil said.
“Such actions can not only threaten the health of athletes but also compromise the integrity of sport.
“The misuse of banned substances can have serious health consequences for those who use them. That’s why the Sports Anti-Doping Rules exist, to protect those who play sport and ensure a level-playing field.”
O’Neill said the commission was “grateful” for its ongoing partnerships with NZ Customs and MedSafe ad it worked to “protect athlete health, integrity and the spirit of sport”.
“A fair playing field is a foundation of all sporting competitions, and we accept the findings reached by the Sports Tribunal.”
Added Athletics New Zealand chief Cam Mitchell: “Athletics New Zealand thanks the Sport Integrity Commission for their ongoing work.
“Safety, fairness, and integrity are the foundations of our sport, and we support all efforts that help protect these values at every level of athletics.”
Morgan Foster, left, in competition in 2011. Photo / NZME
The substances included one that stimulated the body’s production of growth hormone.
“Athletes and bodybuilders might misuse this unapproved substance to increase muscle mass, enhance recovery, and reduce body fat,” the ruling said of Ipamorelin.
Tesamorelin could be “misused in sport to promote lean body mass and enhance recovery”.
TB-500 and BPC-157 was “commonly used for its potential to promote healing, reduce inflammation, and improve flexibility. Athletes might misuse this unapproved substance in an attempt to speed up recovery from injuries and enhance overall physical performance.
In the lead-up to last year’s New Zealand Lifesaving Championships – Foster’s 28th season competing in the Open Division – he spoke of his longevity.
Then aged 48, he said in an article on the Surf Life Saving NZ website while he was older than his opponents, he was still competitive.
“Obviously, I’m nowhere near as quick as I used to be,” he said.
“But despite not being able to recover or train as hard as a 20-year-old, I’m competitive, and I think I set the standard for the younger guys. If they can’t beat a 48-year-old, then there’s no way they’re going to be winning a world title.
“I don’t have the ability to turn over and produce the horsepower I used to have. So, I’ve changed the way I run a little bit – I’ve been working on a rotational exaggerated running pattern, which sees me going more side to side. This allows me to fire quickly.”
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience.
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