Mica Galvao Receives 1 Year Suspention And Stripped Of World Title

The long-held rumor that grappling phenom Mica Galvao had been caught using prohibited performance enhancers at the 2022 IBJJF World Championships has now been confirmed by USADA, the governing body that supervises the doping tests for the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. On their website, the doping agency describes that the relatively short sanction of 1 year (in comparison to the 3-year bans for 5 competitors earlier this year) was down to the fact that the substance found (Clomiphene) was taken under therapeutic pretenses by the 19-year-old competitor and prescribed by a physician, though, as Micael failed to request the required TUE before usage, the sanction still applies.

Full Statement by USADA (link here):

USADA announced today that Micael Galvão, of São Paulo, Brazil, an athlete in the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has accepted a one-year suspension for an anti-doping rule violation.

Galvão, 19, tested positive for clomiphene and its metabolite 4-hydroxyclomiphene as the result of an in-competition drug test conducted at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Jiu-Jitsu Championships on June 5, 2022. Although the IBJJF is not a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code), USADA was contracted by IBJJF to conduct testing for the event and collected and analyzed Galvão’s sample in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s International Standards.

Clomiphene is a Specified Substance in the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators and is prohibited at all times under the Code and the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, which applied with slight modifications, to the 2022 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships.

After a thorough review of the case, including the examination of medical records provided by the athlete, USADA determined that Galvão’s positive test was caused by a medication prescribed in a therapeutic dose under the care of a physician. Although the substance was taken at the direction of a physician, the Code requires that athletes obtain a TUE before using a prohibited substance, which Galvão failed to do.

Galvão’s one-year period of ineligibility began on July 22, 2022, the date his provisional suspension was imposed. In addition, Galvão has been disqualified from all competitive results achieved in competitions sanctioned by the IBJJF, or any Code signatory, on and subsequent to June 5, 2022, the date his positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes. IBJJF has agreed to impose the sanction.