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http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/12/...a-unfair-changes-machida-diaz-ped-suspensions
UFC’s anti-doping programme is flawed and needs to be changed
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* Inconsistent Decisions
Lyoto Machida received 18 months for disclosing that he took 7-keto-DHEA. Ferreira received 17 months for disclosing that he took 7-keto-DHEA and testing positive for ostarine (which turned out to be a hidden ingredient in his 7-keto-DHEA supplement). This inconsistency is a major issue.
* Inappropriate Classification of substances
7-keto-DHEA shouldn’t even carry a two year suspension. It is grouped as an “anabolic agent” despite not having any intrinsic anabolic effects, as WADA admitted to the UK’s advisory council on the misuse of drugs.
Technically, 7-keto-DHEA shouldn’t carry any suspension, because it doesn’t meet 2 of the 3 criteria set by WADA for a banned substance. The criteria are:
* Athletes are banned from presenting evidence showing a substance is mis-classified
WADA’s determination of the Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods that will be included on the Prohibited List, the classification of substances into categories on the Prohibited List, and the classification of a substance as prohibited at all times or In-Competition only, is final and shall not be subject to challenge by an Athlete or other Person based on an argument that the substance or method was not a masking agent or did not have the potential to enhance performance, represent a health risk or violate the spirit of sport.
Even in situations where other governing bodies consult experts and determine that WADA misclassified a substance, as happened with Mamadou Sakho, WADA still doesn't have to change their list.
* USADA’s inconsistency
Ferreira and Machida both had their policy violations happen in April this year. Despite Machida’s violation being for only 7-keto-DHEA, he still received a longer suspension than Ferreira. I reached out to USADA to ask why this inconsistency occurred. As with my previous emails, I have received no reply.
...when Nate Diaz admitted to using a banned substance at a press conference—during the in-competition period, as defined in the anti-doping policy—he received no punishment.
* Transparency
There are transparency issues as well: USADA seem to only give comment or information to media who are uncritical of them.
* Evidence-led decision making
The entire prohibited list needs to be based on evidence, which isn’t the case with the WADA prohibited list. Currently, WADA has no need to provide evidence that a substance meets any of the criteria necessary to be banned. In fact, WADA has openly admitted to banning substances purely because athletes take it.
WADA banned meldonium before having any evidence it enhances performance or affects athlete health. Worse, they banned it before even knowing how to accurately test for it. That led to several athletes being wrongly suspended after WADA admitted it had no idea if they took the banned substance before or after it was banned.
* Athletes' Rights
Athletes need to be able to challenge their punishment in a genuinely neutral setting. The current arbitration policy forces athletes to use an arbitration service operated by McLaren Global Sport Solutions, who have a “strategic relationship” with both WADA and USADA.
///
Since USADA has been introduced to the UFC it is running wild testing people dozens of times, sometimes 3 times in one week and busting every man and his dog, mostly for irrelevant substances which make little to no difference to athletic performance. As outlined above the way it is done is excessive, inconsistent, illogical and unfair. Most disturbingly of all some of the testing does seem to be targeted, there also have been issues with puzzling delays on results being returned when certain fighters are involved.
If USADA is going to play this big of a role in the sport and be collaring people left and right they should sick the new Fighters' Union on it as priority 1, and there needs to be a heavy watchdog brought in, something that is not going to be easy to capture as the UFC does have big bucks at its disposal and we know through its history the organisation has been involved in many shady deals. At the moment it is messing up people's careers for no good reason and it is not accountable.
UFC’s anti-doping programme is flawed and needs to be changed
* Inconsistent Decisions
Lyoto Machida received 18 months for disclosing that he took 7-keto-DHEA. Ferreira received 17 months for disclosing that he took 7-keto-DHEA and testing positive for ostarine (which turned out to be a hidden ingredient in his 7-keto-DHEA supplement). This inconsistency is a major issue.
* Inappropriate Classification of substances
7-keto-DHEA shouldn’t even carry a two year suspension. It is grouped as an “anabolic agent” despite not having any intrinsic anabolic effects, as WADA admitted to the UK’s advisory council on the misuse of drugs.
Technically, 7-keto-DHEA shouldn’t carry any suspension, because it doesn’t meet 2 of the 3 criteria set by WADA for a banned substance. The criteria are:
- Potential to enhance sports performance
- Actual or potential health risk to an athlete
- Violates the spirit of the sport
* Athletes are banned from presenting evidence showing a substance is mis-classified
WADA’s determination of the Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods that will be included on the Prohibited List, the classification of substances into categories on the Prohibited List, and the classification of a substance as prohibited at all times or In-Competition only, is final and shall not be subject to challenge by an Athlete or other Person based on an argument that the substance or method was not a masking agent or did not have the potential to enhance performance, represent a health risk or violate the spirit of sport.
Even in situations where other governing bodies consult experts and determine that WADA misclassified a substance, as happened with Mamadou Sakho, WADA still doesn't have to change their list.
* USADA’s inconsistency
Ferreira and Machida both had their policy violations happen in April this year. Despite Machida’s violation being for only 7-keto-DHEA, he still received a longer suspension than Ferreira. I reached out to USADA to ask why this inconsistency occurred. As with my previous emails, I have received no reply.
...when Nate Diaz admitted to using a banned substance at a press conference—during the in-competition period, as defined in the anti-doping policy—he received no punishment.
* Transparency
There are transparency issues as well: USADA seem to only give comment or information to media who are uncritical of them.
* Evidence-led decision making
The entire prohibited list needs to be based on evidence, which isn’t the case with the WADA prohibited list. Currently, WADA has no need to provide evidence that a substance meets any of the criteria necessary to be banned. In fact, WADA has openly admitted to banning substances purely because athletes take it.
WADA banned meldonium before having any evidence it enhances performance or affects athlete health. Worse, they banned it before even knowing how to accurately test for it. That led to several athletes being wrongly suspended after WADA admitted it had no idea if they took the banned substance before or after it was banned.
* Athletes' Rights
Athletes need to be able to challenge their punishment in a genuinely neutral setting. The current arbitration policy forces athletes to use an arbitration service operated by McLaren Global Sport Solutions, who have a “strategic relationship” with both WADA and USADA.
///
Since USADA has been introduced to the UFC it is running wild testing people dozens of times, sometimes 3 times in one week and busting every man and his dog, mostly for irrelevant substances which make little to no difference to athletic performance. As outlined above the way it is done is excessive, inconsistent, illogical and unfair. Most disturbingly of all some of the testing does seem to be targeted, there also have been issues with puzzling delays on results being returned when certain fighters are involved.
If USADA is going to play this big of a role in the sport and be collaring people left and right they should sick the new Fighters' Union on it as priority 1, and there needs to be a heavy watchdog brought in, something that is not going to be easy to capture as the UFC does have big bucks at its disposal and we know through its history the organisation has been involved in many shady deals. At the moment it is messing up people's careers for no good reason and it is not accountable.
FEAR THE CONSEQUENCES
