Recently, Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire began a 365/24/7 drug testing
program under the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, (VADA). The testing is
done 365 days a year. Donaire must be available to have samples collected 24
hours a day, seven days a week. It is what he calls a gift to his fans, showing
he is a clean athlete they can believe in. (Click Video embedded on this page.)
As part of that stance, he offered a VADA
sponsorship to Toshiaki Nishioka, whose team said they would consider the offer. (Donaire vs. Nishioka is set for October 13 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.)
“I offered the sponsorship. It’s good for boxing to
do the drug testing before the fight. Hopefully, everyone can do it,” said
Donaire. “He says he is really open to it. That’s good. That’s very good. I
think it is good for the whole sport that we are willing to go beyond to show
we are clean fighters.”
Nishioka, who will train in Tokyo, Japan for this
bout, told Maxboxing.com he had no objection to doing more intensive testing.
“If I need to take a test, I have no problem taking
tests,” said Nishioka. “I don’t take anything illegal.”
It was a pointed gesture of respect that Donaire
waited until after the initial press conference to make the offer to Nishioka.
“Out of respect, you know? That’s how it is. We’re
fighters,” said Donaire. “He is one of the guys I respect as a fighter so I
wanted to do it the right way.”
In a call for better universal testing amid the rash
of recent synthetic testosterone positive tests in Major League Baseball,
boxing and mixed martial arts this year as well as in the Olympic Games in
London, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association released the following statement:
Call
to adopt the Carbon Isotope Ratio
(Las
Vegas, NV). Dr. Margaret Goodman and the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association
(VADA) called today for professional sports leagues to immediately adopt the
Carbon Isotope Ratio (CIR) test for every screen used in testing for
performance-enhancing
drugs. To date, only the athletes who participate in VADA’s rigorous program
undergo such testing.
“The
recent positive tests for synthetic, or artificial, testosterone in
professional and elite sports demonstrate that it is a problem at the highest
levels of sport,” said Dr. Goodman, President of VADA. “Clearly, some athletes are choosing
to use the substance because they know it is not tested for upfront. It’s long
past time that the CIR test was used across the board to test for synthetic
testosterone.”
In
nearly all sports today, the CIR test is only used when testers suspect from
other indicators a presence of synthetic testosterone. As a result, athletes
and trainers who understand the limitations of this testing can “microdose” with synthetic testosterone in order to avoid triggering a
CIR test. In the late 1990s, a number of brilliant anti-doping scientists.some of whom later acted as consultants to VADA collaborated
to develop a better way to detect doping with testosterone by using isotope
ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The CIR/IRMS method is considered a superior,
highly reliable test that culminates in measuring isotope ratios to determine
whether testosterone is produced naturally or artificially.
Since
its inception last year, VADA has used the CIR test as a screening method on
every specimen. VADA is the first anti-doping organization to do so. “We
commend our VADA fighters for stepping up and volunteering for the most
stringent testing available,” said Dr. Goodman. “They set a fine example for
athletes in other sports.
“Synthetic
testosterone, an anabolic steroid, is a banned and dangerous substance, and
cannot be allowed into legitimate competitive sports,” she added. “The potential harmful side effects of
using it include damage to the liver, kidneys, heart, brain, and bones.”
Margaret
Goodman, M.D., serves as President and Chairman of the Board of the Voluntary
Anti-Doping Association. She is a highly respected neurologist with a private
practice in Las Vegas, and is a longtime advocate for unarmed combat sport
fighter health and safety.
The
Voluntary Anti-Doping Association is an independent organization offering
effective anti-doping programs in boxing and mixed martial arts that help
protect the health and safety of its athletes and the spirit of their sports.
Through voluntary participation in a rigorous testing program, boxers and mixed
martial artists demonstrate their commitment to clean sport. VADA also educates
participants, commissions and the public about the risks of using performance-enhancing
drugs and the benefits of utilizing safe and effective nutrition and training
practices.
For
more about VADA, visit its website at www.vada-testing.org.
The
problem is obvious. Synthetic testosterone is the drug of choice these days for
your average athlete looking to get ahead in the competitive world of elite-level
sports. Rather than grant therapeutic usage exemptions in states with an
already bloated 4:1 or 6:1 testosterone to epitestosterone ratio, why not
implement some of the revenue generated by all of these sports and pay for the
one test, CIR, that will catch those cheating an already compromised system
with the drug of choice?
Seems like an idea to correct to fail.
