The South African Institute of Drug-Free Sport said on Wednesday it was alarmed by the prevalence of doping among high school athletes.

While addressing Parliament, the institute stated it was tirelessly working on raising awareness about the dangers of performance enhancing drugs and the consequences athletes faced.

England rugby player, Matt Stevens was banned for two years in 2009 after he had tested positive a banned substance.

The institute’s Khalid Galant said he was disturbed by the large number school children stepping over the line.

“We are very concerned with the use of drugs among players in certain sport codes, specifically – anabolic steroids. It is very dangerous for adolescent boys and girls who are still growing,” said Galant.

Galant added he hoped education programs would help to curb the trend.

“We are aggressively tackling this issue from an education perspective. We are rolling out a program where we teach kids decision making skills first, the ethics of sport, why you playing sport,” said Galant.