Roho's lawyer casts doubt on anti-doping tests

Monday 08th September, 06:44 AM JST

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thundercat at 10:44 AM JST - 8th September

These guys are obviously dumber than they look... which is really sad actually... rjd_jr is right, they should be given due punishment. I guess, since technically/legally they have done nothing wrong, due punishment would also be nothing.

It's kind of sad the amount of press coverage for such a trivial thing. These guys should just clam up, stop doing interviews and keep up the denial. F*** the media on this one!
Hoolie at 11:01 AM JST - 8th September

Wakanoho was not suspended illegally - he was suspended, and later dismissed - for being indicted with a criminal offense.

The samples currently being tested were not collected under controlled circumstances and there are questions regarding the chain of custody (as per Japanese media).

As mentioned above, the simplest solution is either new samples or hair samples. Hair testing can accurately go back as far as 90 days, and can even with some accuracy pinpoint when the drug was used.
Richard_III at 11:06 AM JST - 8th September

JSA, NHK and the other media look utterly petty in how they have dealt with this extremely minor issue.

Marijuana is hardly a performance enhancing drug. As such, it's a personal issue and should be dealt with by the cops if it breaches the law.
northlondon at 11:14 AM JST - 8th September

Some critics have pointed to the sloppy nature of the steps the JSA has taken since Wakanoho’s arrest, saying that tests were hastily conducted even though no rules have been established on doping in the sport and the consequences of doping tests were not taken into account.

This is a key issue. Doping tests are complex and rules need to be set first as many different factors can contribute to a positive result. Legally there needs to be a trace of the urine sample you provided and not just trust the handling of your sample by the JSA (not exactly a trustworthy organisation). We all seem to forget (and that means the posters here who want to throw the book at these wrestlers) that in most other first world countries this would be a no-case and thrown out of court. And that includes what happened to Wakanoho (third party handling of his wallet handed in to the police).
TheNewZen at 11:25 AM JST - 8th September

Lets see, AFAIK, SUMO is NOT part of WADA.

Also as for the third-party handling being thrown but I don't recall there having been a trial(gone to court) yet which is needed to do so.

Looks to me like some posters like to slam things and sound off on things that haven't even happened yet.

Like everybody slamming Wakanoho's dismissal, yet 3 other wrestlers also got banned for lifetime in the last year(Wakanoho was the 1st active wrestler). And he has a history of being a trouble-maker.

One of the 3 being dismissed is the stable-master where the 17yr old died. Neither he nor the other 3 wrestlers have been tried yet either.

As of THIS mornings news the JSA is meeting this morning and conducting a hearing where BOTH russian wrestlers can give their story and will decide later on today if and what action/punishment should be given.

Nothing has been decided yet.
fatloser at 12:11 PM JST - 8th September

What if someone put it in their grub and they never knew that they'd chowd it down?! These tests should take that possibility into account. It is also unfair to make the results of the tests public until a absolute test has been conducted!! Nova threatened it's employees with similar tests in the mid 90s.
boonme at 12:17 PM JST - 8th September

*TheNewZen at 11:25 AM JST - 8th September

Lets see, AFAIK, SUMO is NOT part of WADA.*

TheNewZen: You are completely wrong with your statement.

The JSA is a member of the ISF. The ISF is the international federation governing sumo which is itself a member of the IOC.

In order to be an international sport governing body within the IOC you must adhere to the IOC's rules which includes the WADA code. So the JSA will by default be obligated to follow WADA. This is the case for all national and international sports governing bodies where the sport is an IOC recognized discipline. (and I'm not talking about an Olympic medal sport.)

If these wrestlers were given a WADA test and the results are positive then they are pretty much screwed. They can make all sorts of claims but it isn't going to help.

For several days I though they might get off because the test wasn't WADA sanctioned but given this recent news that it was in fact a WADA test then I think they better start packing their bags. They will get a suspension for sure and probably a two year ban but the JSA could impose something harsher.

If I was their lawyer I'd be telling them to keep a low profile, say nothing and wait to make an appeal at the Court of Arbitration after the JSA screws up their suspension hearings.

As for the type of drug they were caught for, it doesn't matter. It is on the banned list and WADA is going to pressure the JSA to make an example out of them. Besides that it is on the banned list and for good reason. And for the record in many sports Marijuana is a performance enhancing drug.
romulus3 at 12:47 PM JST - 8th September

fatloser,

> What if someone put it in their grub and they never knew that they'd chowd it down?!

you make a valid point. it is completely possible that JSA wants gaijins out of sumo and that they have drugged their food but if this is true, why does the lawyer bring up second hand smoke? that poses a question of guilt by association and throws true doubt over the denials. Birds of a feather flock together.
buddha4brains at 12:48 PM JST - 8th September

I am not a big fan of Roho, but I do believe in fair play by all parties. If JSO cannot follow proper procedures in order to gain creditable results, then it should stop pretending to be a sport worthy of sanction by the IOC. It is worrisome that JSO has not yet established standard procedures.

Sadder still are the comments of some who normally rail against the Japanese for every perceived mistake but in this case the Russian seem to rank lower and apparently not deserving of a fair investigation.
TheNewZen at 02:03 PM JST - 8th September

Boonme.

Which part of AFAIK did you not get? By using that I can't be "completely wrong".

But thanks for the clarification, not sure which has higher authority here the ISF or the JSA though as I would assume that the JSA would be the governing/owning body that sets the rules/regulations.

BTW, didn't know that Sumo was IOC recognised.
pathat at 03:11 PM JST - 8th September

"Some critics have pointed to the sloppy nature of the steps the JSA has taken since Wakanoho’s arrest, saying that tests were hastily conducted even though **no rules have been established on doping in the sport **and the consequences of doping tests were not taken into account."

It is easy to understand why the JSA would not have wanted any doping tests done...say...5-10 years ago. Such tests would have resulted in some of the biggest stars getting into big trouble, and I do not just mean the foreign ones.
Orangeporange at 05:40 PM JST - 8th September

Are they going to test all the wrestlers in JSA now? It would only seem fair.
TheNewZen at 05:57 PM JST - 8th September

According to the news just now. One of the guys was 5 times over the legal limit and the other 10 times. You decide if that is from 2nd-hand smoke or not.

I am sure they will test all wrestlers, the 69 were tested because they were practicing together at one place.
Naruki_Oni at 12:15 PM JST - 9th September

TheNewZen:

Tell me what the "legal limit" is, what their numbers were, how the tests were performed, how much smoke one can normally take in from secondhand, etc.

If you can't do that, then your point is worthless.
nigelboy at 10:07 AM JST - 10th September

According to the news just now. One of the guys was 5 times over the legal limit and the other 10 times. You decide if that is from 2nd-hand smoke or not.

The term "legal" is not approriate here. What JADA (sanctioned by World Anti Doping Agency) determined that the concentration level was 5 and 10 times the numerical concentration of one that has inhaled directly.

The testing method conducted by JADA are linked as follows:

http://www.anti-doping.or.jp/check/check08.html

It appears that the wrestelers were given the choice of which bottles to use as well as the test kit.