South African rider S’annara Grove (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team) has been provisionally suspended after an out-of-competition sample collected during the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games produced an adverse result for ipamorelin.
The International Testing Agency announced the case on Friday, August 21, while the 32-year-old was competing at the Lloyds Tour of Britain. The sample was collected in Glasgow on July 28 as part of Commonwealth Sport’s testing programme for the Games, which ran from July 23 to August 2.
Grove was informed of the finding and received a mandatory provisional suspension under the World Anti-Doping Code and Article 6.2.1 of the UCI Regulations for Results Management. She has the right to challenge the suspension and request that it be lifted.
The finding does not establish that Grove committed an anti-doping rule violation. The ITA did not announce any decision on her results and said it would make no further comment while the case continues.
An adverse analytical finding is a report from a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory confirming that a sample contains a prohibited substance or associated metabolites or markers, or showing that a prohibited method was used.
Ipamorelin is prohibited at all times
Ipamorelin is included in section S2 of WADA’s 2026 Prohibited List, which covers related substances and mimetics, peptide hormones and growth factors. Drugs in that category are prohibited during and outside competition.
WADA lists ipamorelin as a growth-hormone secretagogue, while the ITA describes it as a synthetic peptide that stimulates the body’s own production of growth hormone. It is classed as a non-specified substance under the anti-doping rules, a classification used when applying the Code’s sanctions provisions.
Groves represented South Africa on the track at the Commonwealth Games, finishing 13th in the women’s 10km scratch race final and 16th in the women’s 25km points race final. Before travelling to Glasgow, Grove won the 106km elite women’s race at the Amashova National Classic for a third consecutive year.
The case will continue through the results-management process, while Grove retains the right to challenge the provisional suspension.
