Bombshell as top South African athlete tests positive for EPO
South Africa’s road to the 2026 Commonwealth Games has hit an unexpected hurdle after middle-distance star Luan Munnik tested positive for EPO.
Black News 
Team South Africa’s preparations for the 2026 Commonwealth Games have suffered a major setback after middle-distance runner Luan Munnik was removed from the national squad following a positive test for the banned substance EPO.
The 26-year-old athlete was initially selected for the athletics team that will represent South Africa at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
However, just hours before the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) officially unveiled its 112-member squad on Wednesday, news emerged that Munnik had been provisionally suspended.
Issued a notice of allegation
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) confirmed that Munnik tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) during the World Athletics Indoor Championships earlier this year and issued a notice of allegation on 24 June.
The alleged violations fall under Articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the anti-doping regulations, relating to the presence and use of a prohibited substance.
Munnik had emerged as one of South Africa’s most promising middle-distance athletes in recent seasons.
Training with the Potchefstroom Track Club and backed by Nike, he enjoyed a breakthrough campaign that included personal best performances across several distances and a seventh-place finish in the men’s 3 000m final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.
The positive test has now cast a shadow over those achievements and dealt a blow to South Africa’s athletics programme ahead of the Games.
Performance-enhancing drug
EPO is one of the most infamous performance-enhancing drugs in sport.
The substance increases the production of red blood cells, improving the body’s ability to transport oxygen to muscles and enhancing endurance performance.
Under World Athletics’ strict liability rules, athletes are responsible for any prohibited substance found in their bodies, regardless of intent.
Munnik has indicated that he intends appealing the provisional suspension and may request analysis of his B-sample.
Should the result be confirmed, the matter will proceed to an AIU Tribunal, where potential sanctions will be determined.
At this stage, no coaches, support staff or training personnel have been implicated.
There has also been no official comment from the Potchefstroom Track Club, the North-West University High Performance Institute, coach Jean Verster or Nike.
Strong squad
Despite the controversy, South Africa will still travel to Glasgow with one of its strongest athletics squads in recent years.
The team includes sprint star Akani Simbine, rising talents Lythe Pillay and Prudence Sekgodiso, hurdler Marione Fourie and road-running standout Tayla Kavanagh.
However, the suspension of Munnik is likely to dominate discussion in the build-up to the Games, with South African athletics once again facing uncomfortable questions about doping as it prepares for one of the biggest events on the international sporting calendar.
