Uanderson Ferreira accepts three-month suspension and loses his 2024 Pans title
USADA test at the tournament found a THC metabolite; the agency said the use was out of competition and unrelated to performance
Uanderson Ferreira accepted a three-month suspension for an anti-doping rule violation, USADA announced on July 29, 2024. The 23-year-old black belt from Rio de Janeiro tested positive for a metabolite of THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, in an in-competition test at the IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship on March 24.
According to the U.S. agency, the substance is banned only in competition and falls under the World Anti-Doping Code’s “Substances of Abuse” category. The rule allows a reduced three-month sanction when the athlete shows the use happened out of competition and was unrelated to sport performance. USADA said Ferreira qualified for it.
The suspension started counting on April 17, the date of his provisional suspension, and the three-month period has already ended.
His results from March 24, the day the sample was collected, were disqualified, with forfeiture of medals, points and prizes. That day Ferreira had won medium-heavyweight gold at Pans, beating Mateus Rodrigues in the final. The IBJJF agreed to impose the sanction.
USADA was contracted by the IBJJF to run testing at the tournament. The details are in the statement published by the agency.
