The Rugby Football Union is "reviewing its guidance on legal supplements after research showed widespread use of such products among youth players." There is concern that the use of protein and other supplements "could lead to either inadvertent or intentional doping." The Irish RFU already prohibits U18 players from taking protein supplements and other "ergogenic aids" (LONDON TIMES, 5/5).
The Professional Cricketers' Association claimed a dozen county players "are being paid or offered terms below the national minimum wage." Many of the game's "top stars," including several England internationals, "are currently earning highly lucrative sums playing in the Indian Premier League." But the PCA said that it has discovered "at least six unnamed counties using unapproved employment contracts in the past 12 months," with nine professional players being paid below the national minimum wage and three others offered similar terms (London TELEGRAPH, 5/4).
Sports betting integrity body ESSA revealed that 50 suspicious betting alerts were generated in the first quarter of '18, "with more than half of the cases concerning tennis." For the first three months of the year, "suspicious betting activity was flagged across nine sports." With 27 alerts, tennis was the "main source of unusual betting patterns, followed by football with 11 cases" (GAMING INTELLIGENCE, 5/4).
