The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community received news as Francisco Lo, a 24-year-old competitor from Euclid, California, was handed a three-year suspension following positive tests for multiple PEDs at the 2025 Pan IBJJF Championship.
USADA announced that Lo tested positive for two distinct PEDs from a sample collected on March 23, 2025, during the prestigious tournament. The analysis revealed the presence of 4α-chloro-17β-hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-18-nor-5α-androstan-13-en-3α-ol, a long-term metabolite of dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT), alongside 19-norandrosterone (19-NA), a metabolite of nandrolone.
This compound is a metabolite of turinabol (dehydrochloromethyltestosterone), an anabolic ster*id that was notoriously used in systematic d*ping programs, particularly by East German athletes in the 1970s and 1980s.
Athletes would take turinabol because it provides several performance-enhancing effects:
- Primary benefits:
- Increased muscle mass and strength – promotes protein synthesis and nitrogen retention
- Enhanced endurance – improves red blood cell production, increasing oxygen delivery to muscles
- Faster recovery – reduces muscle breakdown and speeds healing between training sessions
- Improved power output
Lo‘s urine sample underwent Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) analysis, a technique used to distinguish between naturally occurring compounds and synthetic ones. The IRMS results confirmed that the 19-NA in Lo‘s system was synthetic.
Both PEDs fall under the category of anabolic agents that are banned at all times under rules. They are considered non-specified PEDs due to their severity in sports.
Originally facing a four-year ban, Lo reduced his suspension by one year through early admission of the violation. Under Article 10.8.1 of the WADA Code, athletes who accept sanctions within 20 days of notification are eligible for this reduction. Lo‘s cooperation with the process saved him from the full penalty.
The suspension, which began on April 28, 2025, when his provisional ban was issued, also disqualified all of Lo‘s results from March 23, 2025, onward — including medals, points, and prizes.
While IBJJF is not a signatory to the WADA, it hired USADA to test athletes at the Pan Championship, showing some level of commitment to enforcement.
The Lo case adds to the conversation about PED use in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
