Basketball Player Receives Sanction
Sport Integrity Australia acknowledges that Basketball Australia has imposed a one (1) month period of Ineligibility on athlete Xavier Cooks for the Presence of a Prohibited Substance.
Mr Cooks returned an Adverse Analytical Finding from an In-Competition doping control test on 12 January 2025.
Mr Cooks’ sample was analysed at the Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory, part of the National Measurement Institute, and the presence of Cocaine and its metabolite Benzoylecgonine were detected.
The substance Cocaine is listed under Class S6A (Non-Specified Stimulants) of the World Anti-Doping Code – International Standard – Prohibited List 2025 (2025 Prohibited List). Cocaine is prohibited In-Competition only and is a Non-Specified Substance. Cocaine is also classified as a ‘Substance of Abuse’ under the 2025 Prohibited List.
Under Article 10.2.4.1 of the Australian National Anti-Doping Policy 2021 (ANADP), if the Athlete can establish that any ingestion or Use of the substance occurred Out-of-Competition and was unrelated to sport performance, then the period of Ineligibility shall be three (3) months.
In addition, the Athlete’s period of Ineligibility calculated under Article 10.2.4.1 of the ANADP may be reduced to one (1) month if the Athlete satisfactorily completes a Substance of Abuse treatment program approved by SIA.
In Mr Cooks’ case, all requirements for a reduction in the period of Ineligibility under Article 10.2.4.1 of the ANADP were satisfied.
Basketball Australia imposed a one-month period of Ineligibility on Mr Cooks commencing on 7 February 2025.
Mr Cooks was ineligible to participate in any sports that have adopted a World Anti-Doping Code compliant anti-doping policy between 7 February 2025 and 6 March 2025. He was also not permitted to compete in a non-signatory professional league, or event organised by a non-signatory International or National level event organisation.
Additional information on the Prohibited Substance
Classified by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as an ‘S6 Stimulants’ class of illicit drug, cocaine is an illegal substance listed on the Prohibited Substances and Methods list under the Substances of Abuse category, as a drug which is prohibited for use ‘In-Competition’.
Stimulants are a class of drug that accelerate the function of the central nervous system. They stimulate the sympathetic nervous system which causes an increase in body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and affects respiratory rate. They also suppress sensations of hunger, thirst and fatigue which when combined with sharp rises in body temperature result in an increased risk of dehydration, complete exhaustion and death.
Further information on Cocaine and Sport can be located on the SIA Website here: Cocaine Use in Sport | Sport Integrity Australia
