USADA announced today that Francisco Lo, of Euclid, Calif., an athlete in the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has accepted a three-year period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation after testing positive for prohibited substances.
Lo, 24, tested positive for 4α-chloro-17β-hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-18-nor-5α-androstan-13-en-3α-ol, a long-term metabolite of dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT), as well as 19-norandrosterone (19-NA), a metabolite of nandrolone, as the result of an in-competition drug test conducted at the 2025 Pan International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Jiu-Jitsu Championship on March 23, 2025. Lo’s urine sample was analyzed using a specialized test known as Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS), that unequivocally differentiates between 19-NA naturally produced by the body and 19-NA of synthetic origin. The IRMS analysis result was consistent with the exogenous origin of 19-NA in Lo’s sample. Although the IBJJF is not a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code), USADA was contracted by the IBJJF to conduct testing for the event and collected and analyzed Lo’s sample in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s International Standards.
DHCMT and nandrolone are anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS). All AAS are non–Specified Substances in the class of Anabolic Agents, which are prohibited at all times under the Code and the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, which applied with slight modifications to the 2025 Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Under Article 10.8.1 of the Code, an athlete who faces an anti-doping rule violation that carries a period of ineligibility of four or more years may receive a one-year sanction reduction if the athlete admits the violation and accepts the asserted sanction within 20 days of notification of the alleged anti-doping rule violation charge. Per the rule, Lo qualified for a one-year reduction to the otherwise applicable four-year period of ineligibility.
Lo’s three-year period of ineligibility began on April 28, 2025, the date his provisional suspension was imposed. In addition, Lo has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained in competitions sanctioned by the IBJJF or by any Code signatory on and subsequent to March 23, 2025, the date his positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
In an effort to aid athletes, as well as support team members such as parents, coaches, and medical professionals in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to file and update athlete Whereabouts, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements, as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs.
In addition, USADA manages a drug reference hotline, Global Drug Reference Online (www.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as a supplement guide, a nutrition guide, a clean sport handbook, and periodic alerts and advisories.
USADA makes available a number of ways to report the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in an effort to protect clean athletes and promote clean competition. Any tip can be reported using the USADA Play Clean Tip Center, by text at 87232 (“USADA”), by email at playclean@USADA.org, by phone at 1-877-Play Clean (1-877-752-9253) or by mail.
USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement and is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.
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