Permanent Ban on Anabolic Androgenic introduced into the Greyhounds Australasia Rules

Warning to trainers – Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) including usage in greyhounds

On 1 January 2016, Greyhounds Australasia introduced Anabolic Androgenic Steroids to the list of Permanently Banned Prohibited Substances within GAR 79A (2) xx. as follows:

“Anabolic androgenic steroids excluding those that are defined as an exempted substance pursuant to GAR 1.”

***GRV implemented this rule on 1 June 2016***

The relevant exempted substance listed within GAR 1 is as follows:

“Ethyloestrenol when administered orally to a greyhound bitch and where it has been prescribed by a veterinary surgeon for the sole purpose of regulating or preventing oestrus in that bitch.”

Participants are advised that in accordance with GAR 79A they must never possess, acquire, attempt to acquire, administer or allow to be administered to any greyhound from birth until retirement, any anabolic androgenic , excluding ethyloestrenol where it is appropriately prescribed for use as an oestrous suppressant in females.

“Anabolic androgenic steroids” include those that are currently registered in Australia by the APVMA such as , ethyloestrenol, , , and testosterone. Others include but are not limited to 1-; 1-; ; ; ; ; ; ; dehydrochlormethyltestosterone; ; ; ; ; ; ; 4-hydroxytestosterone; ; ; ; methandienone; ; ; methyl-1-testosterone; methylnortestosterone; ; ; ; 19- norandrostenedione; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; 1-testosterone; (THG); ; and other substances with a similar chemical structure or similar biological effect(s).

On 1 July 2016, Greyhounds Australasia introduced a urinary threshold for testosterone in male greyhounds within GAR 83 (12) as follows:

“Testosterone as evidenced by the presence of 5β--3α, 17β-diol at or below a concentration of 100 nanograms per millilitre in a sample of urine taken from a male greyhound will not breach the provisions of sub rule (1A) or (2) of this rule.”

15 July 2016

Under the new rule, 5β-androstane-3α, 17β-diol (βαβ) concentrations found in urine swabs from male greyhounds at a concentration of above 100 ng/mL will breach the rules to join the previously introduced threshold of 10 ng/mL in females within GAR 83 (6).

***GRV implemented this rule on 1 July 2016***

This new threshold has been determined following a population survey that measured urinary βαβ levels in 196 greyhounds sampled on race day. It has been set at a level to allow for normal variation amongst racing greyhounds with a robust margin of safety.

Participants are again reminded that Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (e.g. Testoprop, Ropel), (e.g. Chorulon) and Releasing Hormones (e.g. Fertagyl) are all Permanently Banned Prohibited Substances under GAR 79A that cannot be (or attempted to be) procured, possessed or administered and use will increase testosterone levels leading to a breach of the threshold and rule regardless of whether testing is conducted in or out competition.

***GRV will enforce these thresholds race day and out of competition***

For a current list of APVMA registered products that contain the above substances visit: https://portal.apvma.gov.au/pubcris

Compliance with these rules will be enforced by GRV through all available means including regular kennel inspections, inspections of medications and treatment records, and regular out of competition testing, as well as through routine race day sampling.

As per GAR 79A (3) any greyhound that tests positive to any permanently banned prohibited substance shall be withdrawn from any Event in which it is nominated to compete and will be ineligible to be nominated for any further Event until a sample is subsequently taken that does not contain any of the substances specified in GAR 79A (2).

Interim enforcement of rule change until 1 December 2016

From 1 June 2016, GRV will strictly enforce the rule changes relating to the possession of, acquiring of, or attempting to acquire any Anabolic Androgenic Steroid. All participants are strongly encouraged to examine any medications in their possession and appropriately discard any Anabolic Androgenic Steroid listed above, as well as other medications that have expired or breach the rules of racing.

Out of Competition testing and hair testing for Anabolic Androgenic Steroids will be routinely enforced from 1 December 2016 to allow a safe wash out period of these substances. However, a ban on the administration of these substances will operate from 1 June 2016. GRV reserves the right to prosecute breaches of this rule if scientific evidence suggests the substances have been administered following 1 June 2016.

For the avoidance of doubt, from 1 July 2016 GRV will enforce the testosterone thresholds within GAR 83 (6) and (12) on race day and out of competition - i.e. Testosterone as evidenced

15 July 2016

by the presence of 5β-androstane-3α, 17β-diol in a urine sample above 10 ng/mL in the female or 100 ng/mL in the male will breach rule GAR 79A.

GRV will continue to conduct routine race day (urine/blood) sampling for Anabolic Androgenic Steroids with routine hair sampling to commence from 1 December 2016. For the avoidance of doubt, in the interim period GRV reserves the right to conduct hair sampling for intelligence purposes or to confirm the administration of an Anabolic Androgenic Steroid detected in another sample type.

Under certain restricted conditions (e.g. change of trainer) agreed by GRV, it may offer elective testing for Anabolic Androgenic Steroids. Given the substances are permanently banned and should not be present this option will only exist for an interim period and follow the restrictions of GRV.

For further information please contact GRV.

15 July 2016