Nevada State Athletic Commission revises drug testing policies
Following the insights and recommendations of a noted Las Vegas physician, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has made several minor revisions to its drug testing policy.
Physician Robert Voy advised that haemoglobin tests be performed in order to determine the use of performance enhancing drugs. Voy initially made the suggestion this summer in a meeting with the commission about testing methods.
The question of performance enhancing drugs has become a big one for the commission in recent years, following the revelations that more than one marquee professional fighter has used them for fighting advantage.
As per Nevada State Commission regulations, fighters are required to provide blood samples to the commission, which are tested for infectious diseases. The current policy on infectious diseases was in part revised after controversies with former heavyweight
champion Tommy Morrison, who continued to fight while HIV positive.
Presently the commission relies in the main on urine tests to determine drug use.
“Basically, when you get the testing done on the blood for diseases like HIV and hepatitis, for a few extra bucks you can check for haemoglobin levels,” said Keith Kizer , the commission’s executive director.
“It shows the amount of red blood cells in a person’s blood. You can compare that to future tests and if there’s a significant variance that could be proof someone took blood doping.”
Aside from a haemoglobin test addendum, the commission also amended its anabolic steroid testing policy. Before the revision one could obtain an exemption from testing if therapeutic testosterone had been used, by submitting a simply doctor’s note to the
commission.
A unanimous vote determined that fighters on testosterone were not outside of the jurisdiction of steroid testing.
“They do grant therapy exemptions if someone has valid, low testosterone levels,” Kizer clarified. “One of the things they have to do now though, in addition to proving it’s a legitimate medical condition, is do an immediate steroids test.”
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