Ariz. Admin. Code § R19-2-C604 - Licensing Requirements Related to Ability and Fitness

A. Age and physical condition of combatant applying for license.

1. Prior to issuance or renewal of a license, an applicant for a license to engage in unarmed combat shall be examined by a physician approved by the Commission, and satisfy the Commission that the applicant has the ability to compete, if the applicant:

a. Reached 36 years of age or will reach 36 years of age during the licensing year;

b. Has not competed in unarmed combat for at least 36 consecutive months; or

c. Has any medical, physical or mental unfitness that could affect the applicant's safety or welfare if the applicant were licensed.

2. The Commission may revoke, suspend, or refuse to issue or renew the license of any combatant because of injury or unfitness that could affect the safety or welfare of the licensee or other industry participants. The combatant's license shall be reinstated when and if the Commission, in its sole discretion, determines that the injury or unfitness has been resolved. The Commission may consult with a physician selected by the Commission in making this determination.

3. The Commission shall not issue or renew a license to engage in unarmed combat to an applicant or combatant who is found to be blind in one eye or whose vision in one eye is so poor that a physician recommends that the license not be granted or renewed. This rule applies regardless of how good the vision of the applicant or combatant may be in the other eye.

4. Together with the medical exams required by A.R.S. § 5-228(F)(1) - (5), an applicant shall submit to testing as follows:

a. Before the Commission issues a license, the applicant shall undergo a base-line concussion examination conducted or supervised by a physician who is licensed pursuant to A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 13 or 17. The base-line concussion examination shall consist of any neurological testing protocol approved by the American Academy of Neurology, that includes the following tests, or the reasonable and recognized equivalent to the following tests:

i. A Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS), to determine if the applicant is exhibiting any current symptoms that may be related to concussion;

ii. A recognized quantitative test of cognition, such as the Cogstate Computerized Cognitive Assessment Tool (CCAT), ImPACT, or the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC);

iii. A recognized quantitative test of oculomotor function, such as the King-Devick Test;

iv. A recognized quantitative test of balance, such as the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), the Rhomberg test, pronator drift, or the timed tandem gait test.

b. Every ringside physician, trainer, second, or cutman present at an event, and every trainer present at a practice session, has the responsibility of acting as a "spotter" and notifying the Commission if the spotter reasonably suspects that a combatant has suffered a head injury or concussion. A spotter's knowing failure to notify the Commission of a suspected head injury or concussion of a combatant shall result in discipline, up to and including revocation. A spotter who, in good faith, reports a suspected head injury or concussion shall be immune from civil liability with respect to all decisions made and actions taken that are based on good faith implementation of the requirements of this subsection, except in cases of gross negligence, intentional misconduct, or wanton or willful neglect. A referee or a ringside physician shall be responsible for stopping a bout if he or she suspects that a combatant has a head injury or concussion.

c. The license of every combatant who is suspected of having a head injury or concussion shall be suspended until he or she undergoes a post-injury concussion assessment, and is able to provide to the Commission clearance from his or her treating neurologist that the combatant is cleared to resume participation in the sport of unarmed combat. The post-injury concussion assessment shall consist of the same testing used to perform the base-line concussion examination required above, and shall be compared to the base-line test to determine the concussion status of the combatant.

5. The Commission may hold a hearing to determine whether the license should be denied, granted or renewed, or granted or renewed on a conditional basis, in view of the applicant's ability and fitness.

6. All combatants shall have attained their 18th birthday before being licensed.

B. Drug testing and anti-doping.

1. It is the duty of each combatant to ensure that no prohibited substance enters the combatant's body, and a combatant is strictly liable for the presence of any prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers found to be present in the combatant's sample or specimen. To establish a violation of this Section, it is not necessary to establish that the combatant intentionally, knowingly or negligently used a prohibited substance or that the combatant is otherwise at fault for the presence of the prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers found to be present in the combatant's sample or specimen.

2. At any time upon request by the Commission or its representative, whether in or out of competition, a combatant shall submit to a drug test.

a. A test of any sample or specimen of a combatant may be performed by a laboratory approved by the Commission or a laboratory approved and accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Approval by the Commission will be based, in part, on whether the laboratory has implemented the International Standard for Laboratories and the Decision Limits for the Confirmatory Quantification of Threshold Substances.

b. The sample or specimen taken for testing will be referred to as the primary sample. The combatant may request that another sample be collected and preserved, which shall be referred to as the secondary sample.

3. A combatant who utilizes, applies, ingests, injects, or consumes by any means, or attempts to utilize, apply, ingest, inject, or consume by any means, a prohibited substance or prohibited method, whether successful or not, commits an anti-doping violation and is subject to disciplinary action by the Commission. An anti-doping violation is established when:

a. Analysis of either the primary or secondary sample indicates that one or both of the samples contains any quantity of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers, even if the results of testing on both samples is not identical regarding the amount.

b. A combatant, without compelling justification, refuses or fails to submit to the collection of a sample or specimen upon the request of the Commission or its representative or who otherwise evades the collection of a sample or specimen.

c. An in-competition combatant possesses any prohibited substance or prohibited method, or an out-of-competition combatant who possesses any prohibited substance or prohibited method which is prohibited out of competition.

4. A combatant does not violate the provisions of this Section if:

a. The quantity of the prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers found to be present in the combatant's sample or specimen does not exceed the threshold established in the prohibited list for the prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers.

b. The special criteria in the prohibited list for the evaluation of a prohibited substance that can be produced endogenously indicate that the presence of the prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers found to be present in the sample or specimen of the combatant is not the result of the combatant's use of a prohibited substance.

c. If one sample is conclusively positive and one is conclusively negative, and there is no reasonable explanation for the variance.

5. A combatant commits an anti-doping violation and is subject to discipline by possessing any prohibited substance or prohibited method in or out of competition. Any other licensee who possesses a prohibited substance or prohibited method and who is in direct contact with a combatant at the time of possession, has also committed an anti-doping violation.

6. For the purposes of this Section, "possession" means actual physical or constructive possession of the prohibited substance or prohibited method. "Constructive possession" means exclusive control or the intent to exercise exclusive control over a prohibited substance or prohibited method or the premises on or in which a prohibited substance or prohibited method is located.

7. The following are anti-doping violations if committed by any means, and will subject a licensee to discipline:

a. Supervise, facilitate, or participate in the use of a prohibited substance or prohibited method by another person;

b. Sell, give, transport, send, deliver, or distribute a prohibited substance or prohibited method to another person; or

c. Possess with the intent to sell, give, transport, send, deliver, or distribute a prohibited substance or prohibited method to another person.

8. A physician or other bona fide medical personnel who provides or supplies a prohibited substance or prohibited method to a combatant, or who supervises, facilitates or otherwise participates in the use or attempted use of a prohibited substance or prohibited method by a combatant, for genuine and legal therapeutic purposes or any other purposes deemed appropriate by the Commission, is not in violation of this Section.

9. The Commission will report any violation of this Section that also violates any other law or regulation of this state to the appropriate law enforcement, administrative, professional or judicial authority.

10. A combatant may obtain a therapeutic use exemption from an anti-doping violation by submitting to the Commission an application and any medical information the Commission deems necessary to determine whether to grant the therapeutic use exemption. The Commission may grant a therapeutic use exemption if the medical information provided demonstrates that the therapeutic use will not confer an unfair advantage or disadvantage on the combatant, in the sole discretion of the Commission.

a. The Commission will not grant:

i. A therapeutic use exemption that applies to a contest or exhibition in which the applicant has already participated; or

ii. A therapeutic use exemption for testosterone replacement therapy or any similar therapy designed to induce or stimulate testosterone replacement.

b. A therapeutic use exemption granted by the Commission pursuant to this Section is valid until the end of the calendar year in which it was granted, and may be renewed at the time that a combatant applies for the issuance or renewal of his or her license or at such time as the Commission determines.

11. If the Commission grants a therapeutic use exemption to a combatant, the combatant, a person who is licensed, approved, registered or sanctioned by the Commission, and any other person associated with unarmed combat in this state who acts consistently with the therapeutic use exemption, does not commit an anti-doping violation set forth under this rule.

Notes

Ariz. Admin. Code § R19-2-C604

Amended by final rulemaking at 24 A.A.R. 445, effective 2/7/2018.