Drug Testing
We are pleased to announce the results of the drug testing done on the athletes who participated in the following competitions. All drug testing was conducted at the Sports Medicine Research & Testing Laboratory in the U.S.A., starting with the 307th competition on July 21, 2019.
Please note that we will continue to conduct drug testing for the title matches in the future.
The date of this announcement is March 31, 2024
March 31, 2024 Tachikawa Stage Garden
https://www.pancrase.co.jp/data/result/2024/0331.html
Bout 14: Co-Main – Pancrase Women’s Flyweight Championship 5min. 5r.
Honoka Shigeta (THE BLACKBELT JAPAN/1st) VS. Takayo Hata (Wajutsu Keishukai AKZA / 2nd Champion) 2nd defense.
Decision 0-3 Honoka Shigeta becomes the 3rd champion
Result: Prohibited substances were detected in both Honoka Shigeta and Takayo Hata.
Substance detected: ephedrine (stimulant/ephedrine is also found in common medicines such as cold medicine)
Doping Drug Knowledge – National Doping Testing – Anti-Doping – JSPO (japan- sports.or.jp)
sports.or.jp)
Honoka Shigeta’s report stated that Honoka Shigeta had been taking Chinese herbal medicines on rare occasions when she felt unwell. One of the herbs was hemp. One of the ingredients was ephedrine. It was not entered in her pre-fight report. During the interview, she said, “I may have taken it more than a month before the match, but it was not right before the match, so I didn’t report it.
Penalty:
Honoka Shigeta was informed of the following, which she accepted
1. Suspension for 100 days
2. 20% of the fight money will be returned.
Summary:
The purpose of inoculating Honoka with Chinese herbal medicine is to restore her physical condition, not to improve her physical performance or to help her lose weight. The patient and the representative of her gym told us, “From now on, I will report any inoculations I have received in the future, regardless of whether it is before a match or not.” she said in his reply.
The background report for Takayo Hata states that the athlete reported in advance that she had caught a cold about one month before the match and had taken over-the-counter cold medicine.
She had reported this in advance about a month before the match. The medicine contained ephedrine. She didn’t suspect any prohibited substances because it was a very common cold medicine.
Penalty:
Takayo Hata was informed of the following, which she accepted
1. Suspension for 80 days
2. 10% of fight money returned.
Summary:
The purpose of the cold medicine inoculation was to restore her physical condition. The decision was made to accept the explanation that the purpose of the vaccination was to restore her physical condition. We also added to our consideration the fact that she had properly declared her regular medication and the reason (cold) on the pre-declaration form.
The athlete told us, “From now on, even if it is an over-the-counter drug, I will ask them to research the ingredients before I buy it.”
Finally, we would like to thank Honoka Shigeta and Takayo Hata for their courage in agreeing to disclose their information.
It’s important to note that drugs initially intended for treating illnesses and preserving health are now being utilized to enhance athletic performance. Athletes must be fully aware of their regular intake to avoid the misconception that these substances are for treating diseases or maintaining health, when in fact, they are aimed at boosting athletic abilities.
Below are some websites that may be of interest to you. (In Japanese)
Preventing Inadvertent Doping – Tokyo Pharmaceutical Association (toyaku.or.jp)
National Anti-Doping Agency – Anti-Doping – JSPO (japan-sports.or.jp)