Latest news with #SurfLifeSavingNZ
RNZ News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Former world champion surf life guard Morgan Foster banned for three years
Morgan Foster Photo: Surf Life Saving NZ Former world champion surf life guard Morgan Foster has been banned from all sport for three years for the possession and trafficking of multiple banned substances. In September last year, Customs intercepted a parcel to Foster containing a mixture of peptides including substances to increase growth hormone secretion and some experimental substances - all of which are banned in sport. Foster admitted to breaching anti-doping rules saying he purchased the substances for another person intending to help them manage an injury. The Sports Tribunal has imposed a sanction of three years ineligibility based on Foster's early admission and the low level of seriousness of the trafficking violation. "We are disappointed to hear one of our members was found to have violated World Anti-Doping Agency rules. A fair playing field is a foundation of all sporting competitions, and we accept the findings reached by the Sports Tribunal," Surf Life Saving New Zealand general manager Zac Franich said. Foster previously captained the New Zealand team at the World Lifesaving Championships, won numerous national Beach Flag titles and is a former World Beach Flags champion. He also competed in athletics at a national level as a sprinter. Athletics New Zealand chief executive Cam Mitchell endorsed the ban. "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." Sport Integrity Commission general counsel Paul O'Neil said the tribunal decided on a three-year sanction based on the athlete's early admission and the low level of seriousness of the violation. But he emphasised the threat to health posed by the substances. "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. "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."
RNZ News
04-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Surf Life Saving credits lower rescue numbers to prevention focus
Surf lifeguards rescued 577 people this summer. File picture. Photo: Cody Keepa for Surf Life Saving NZ Surf lifeguards rescued 577 people this summer, a big decrease on previous years which Surf Lifesaving NZ attributes to a focus on prevention. Surf Life Saving New Zealand's summer patrol season goes from Labour Weekend to 28 April. Last year, the number of rescues was 873, and the year before that, it was 1472. General manager of lifesaving Andy Kent said the reduction in people needing to be rescued was testament to the ongoing work and education by surf lifeguards. He explained there had been a focus on "preventative action" - when a lifeguard identified a dangerous situation, and took precautions to prevent it developing into a real emergency. That could include preventing swimmers from entering a rip or hole, checking on those who appeared to be in difficulty, or shifting board and ski riders out of flagged areas. Photo: Supplied / Surf Life Saving NZ Surf lifeguards had carried out 47,487 of these preventative actions involving nearly 1 million people this season - nearly double the number of last season. "It's incredibly positive to see those rescue numbers start to trend down," Kent said. The busiest day for surf lifeguards was 29 January, with 90 incidents and nearly 200,000 people on New Zealand beaches. February was the busiest month, with warmer weather encouraging more people into the water. The more than 4000 volunteer surf lifeguards worked more than 240,000 hours this summer season, with surf lifeguard hours increasing every year. "We can enjoy downtime on the beach because others are giving up their time to keep us safer," Kent said. "That isn't just the hours you see them patrolling, but also the time spent training themselves and others to ensure our beaches aren't just safe now, but well into the future." Surf lifeguards would continue to train and upskill over winter, and volunteer Search and Rescue squads would remain on standby for any incidents outside of the summer season. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
