BREAKING: Last African Team Tijger Valley Fails Drug Test, Continent Unlikely to Send Team to the Games

CrossFit Tijger Valley Unit, the lone team representing the African continent at the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games, was notified Tuesday of a failed drug test and will be disqualified from competing next week, the Morning Chalk Up has learned. Tiger Valley originally received the invite from Fittest in Cape Town (FICT) in July after the first-placed team was disqualified due to a failed drug test. 

• BST CrossFit is the third place finisher at FICT and would be next in line if CrossFit chooses to extend an invite. 

One big thing: This is the second continent that will be underrepresented at the Games specifically as a result of positive drug tests.

• South America is only sending one team instead of two after the first, second, third, fourth and sixth-placed teams all failed drug tests, and the sixth place team declined for unknown reasons.
• Only the fifth-placed team, CrossFit Tuluka, was invited to compete.
• Only 36 teams will likely compete, instead of 38. 

The big picture: Africa not having a team at the Games is very likely the direct result of CrossFit not following the established protocols for testing further down the roster in the event that a team or individual fails a drug test. However, CrossFit did not return a request for comment to confirm whether a backfill invitation would be extended.

• The Fittest in Cape Town concluded on May 29 when only one team was tested, CrossFit Commit Okavango. 
• CrossFit’s rulebook states that all athletes and teams must be tested to either advance or collect prize money which means that the second and third-placed teams should have been tested on site. 
• CrossFit Commit Okavango wasn’t notified until three weeks later on June 18 of a positive drug test. 
• Tijger Valley Unit, which finished second, did not complete a drug test until approximately July 4 and wasn’t notified of a negative drug test until Tuesday, July 26, seven days before the start of the Games.
• CrossFit revealed on July 30 that Pieter Smith, a member of Tijger Valley Unit, tested positive for RAD140, more commonly known as Testolone.