Doping in Sport - Bi-Weekly Press round-up #71
UFC champion Jon Jones agrees to anger management classes in relation to drug test incident, Usain Bolt is asked about doping in athletics and the tennis players' union calls for anti-doping reform.
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The UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has agreed to attend four hours of anger management classes to resolve a pair of misdemeanour charges filed against him relating to an incident when he allegedly threatened a doping control officer. “The two charges of assault and interference with communications were made against Jones after he allegedly got into an altercation with drug testing officers at his home in Albuquerque. In a police department report seen by the BBC, the complainant said Jones was intoxicated, threatened to kill her and took her phone after he was asked to give a urine sample in the presence of two anti-doping officers,” (link).
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), which sanctions some of the biggest boxing and MMA fights, will no longer punish fighters who test positive for cannabis. “The NSAC will continue testing for cannabis over the next six months for data collection purposes before determining whether to continue the practice. Any fighter who tests positive will not be punished, however. The NSAC, however, retained the right to remove a fighter from a bout if they are clearly impaired by marijuana or alcohol,” (link). Meanwhile, Laola1 has published an article on the legality of cannabis in football (link). The Premier League enforces ‘Social Drugs Regulations’ which ensure that footballers, while they are still not permitted to take cannabis, do not face excessive bans when they test positive for the drug (link).
The former world champion boxer Paulie Malignaggi says that he suspected Ryan Garcia of doping even before he failed a drugs test after his fight versus Devin Haney. “Ryan Garcia, not doping, is not fast, he’s not strong, he’s not conditioned, he’s not even good. I have been suspicious of Ryan Garcia doping probably since the Duno fight. The Duno fight, I saw the knockout and I didn’t say ‘this guy’s definitely doping’ because you can never really just say that, but there was a certain kind of power surge all the sudden in Ryan Garcia’s career. And it was drastic,” (link). You can watch a clip of Malignaggi’s comments here (link). In June, Malignaggi said that boxing has an issue with microdosing, which he says is easier to detect when boxers are dehydrated prior to weigh-ins (link).
The Spanish anti-doping agency (CELAD), which is under new directorship, has finally banned the 100m sprinter Patrick Chinedu. It was exposed by the media this year that Chinedu failed a drug test five years ago but was never sanctioned. CELAD reportedly initially closed his case because his doping sample was collected by one doping control agent rather than two, which is mandated by Spanish law. “There is only one explanation for Patrick Chinedu being sanctioned in 2024 for a positive test in July 2019. His file was put away in a drawer and not processed,” (link). On Monday Relevo, reported that WADA ‘lied’, and have allowed several Spanish doping cases to go unpunished since 2020 (link).