Amendments to the list of prohibited substances and methods are published

On 1 October, the World Anti-Doping Agency published an update of the list of Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods, which will enter into force on 1 January 2023. Prohibited substances in sport are substances that enhance or may enhance performance, impair the athlete’s health and undermine the spirit of sport.

The most significant change to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s List of Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods is the addition of tramadol (an opioid analgesic) to the List. Experts at the World Anti-Doping Agency, after several years of monitoring how the use of the substance can affect sporting performance, have decided that the substance will be banned in all sports during competition due to the high risk of opioid addiction and the high risk of fatal overdose. As it is classified as a medicinal product, the ban will only come into force on 1 January 2024. It is important to note that when prescribing tramadol for therapeutic purposes, athletes can apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption from the Agency (more details here).

Despite several requests from national anti-doping agencies to review the ban on THC – tetrahydrocannabinol, the active compound in cannabis – during competition, a World Anti-Doping Agency panel of experts has concluded that the substance poses a serious threat to the health of athletes, especially young athletes, and can cause irreversible changes to the nervous system. It is also not excluded that THC may, in some cases, enhance athletic performance, and that its use endangers the safety of other athletes as well as the spirit of sport, and therefore remains on the list of prohibited substances in competition and is classified as a substance of abuse.

For more information in English and the full amendments, see: https://www.wada-ama.org/en/news/wada-publishes-2023-prohibited-list

https://www.wada-ama.org/en/resources/world-anti-doping-program/2023-prohibited-list