ABC won't ban TUEs for TRT, but director asks medical committee to review NSAC decision

The Association of Boxing Commissions’ president is recommending that member commissions follow current protocols for testosterone exemptions, but he’s looking into Nevada’s recent ban on them.

“I will ask the medical committee to consider and review Nevada’s new position on the matter which is a strong deviation from their past practice,” Tim Lueckenhoff wrote in a statement released to MMAjunkie. “I will also ask our legal committee to counsel us about the legal ramifications, if any, from an outright ban without exception for any reason.”

The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Thursday became the first commission to outright ban therapeutic-use exemptions for testosterone-replacement therapy.

Nevada’s move already has prompted the UFC-backed Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA), Brazil’s regulatory body, to ban exemptions for TRT, though current applicant Dan Henderson will be allowed to use the hormone for his fight with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC Fight Night 38 in May.

Lueckenhof?f noted that an outright ban would go against extreme cases such as one in the Olympics in which a man with no testicles was granted a TUE for TRT. He noted that the ABC’s current protocol for exemptions is “extremely tough” and allow exemptions “in only the rarest of cases to a very select group of contestants who have a specified legitimate medical need.”

The ABC crafted guidelines for TRT exemptions in 2011 as part of its Handbook of Ringside Medicine. At the forefront of crafting the policy was New Jersey chief ringside physician and ABC medical committee director Dr. Sherry Wulkan, who recommended it mirror Olympic standards. Lueckenhof?f included a copy of the policy in his statement.

Other influential commissions appear to be in step with the ABC’s position. California State Athletic Commission Executive Director Andy Foster said the commission will keep its current policy on TUEs, which mirrors those set by the Olympic standard bearer World Anti-Doping Agency. New Jersey counsel Nick Lembo told MMAFighting.com the commission will look at Nevada’s decision but won’t make any immediate changes.

For now, the ABC, which serves as a de-facto regulatory body for state athletic commissions but does not have statutory authority over them, is approaching the issue of exemptions with caution.

“We are always interested in the subject of PED usage and proper testing and are pleased that Nevada’s action is igniting a healthy debate on the subject matter,” Lueckenhof?f wrote.

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