Cricket: Player banned for two years by Sports Tribunal

Cricketer Adam King has been banned for two years for the possession and use of banned substances.

The Sports Tribunal of New Zealand issued the penalty in response to offending which occurred over a 10-month period in 2014 and 2015.

A statement said King, a medium-fast bowler, had been a member of the Paraparaumu Cricket Club since 2011 and played at representative level for Horowhenua-Kapiti in 2013 and 2016. He also served as Paraparaumu's club development officer, and coached and managed teams on a voluntary basis.

Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) received information from Medsafe that King had ordered online two anabolic steroids in 2014 and two hormones in 2015. They subsequently took the case to the tribunal.

DFSNZ chief executive Graeme Steel said order prohibited substances online resulted in a high risk of being caught.

"We work closely with Medsafe New Zealand and other enforcement agencies to share information regarding potential breaches of the Sports Anti-Doping Rules. Those considering doping should never think that drug testing is the only tool we have at our disposal.

"It's not just high performance athletes who can get caught out for possession and use of prohibited substances. The Sports Anti-Doping Rules apply to athletes at all levels of sport and those who buy prohibited substances online are making a huge mistake. As well as cheating, they are putting their health and their sporting career at great risk.

"In this case, Mr King has paid a high price for a poor decision which has affected his future in cricket."

The case highlighted that using banned substances to get "an edge" was outright cheating.

"No matter what level of sport, using steroids or any other prohibited substances simply does not fit with the New Zealand sense of what good clean sport is all about," Steel said.

King's counsel, Andrew Skelton, considered his client's mental state had been affected by the following factors, which was relevant to the decisions he made at the time of the purchases: (a) persistent injuries frustrating his cricketing career (b) issues with his employment, including disappointment about a job opportunity at New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (c) the death of his father (d) a significant drop in weight following a burst appendix and surgery.