WADA’s 2024 Prohibited List comes into force on 1 January

The World Anti-Doping Agency calls on athletes, entourage, and all stakeholders to note major modification concerning tramadol.

WADA wishes to remind stakeholders that the 2024 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (List) and the 2024 Monitoring Program come into force on 1 January 2024. The 2024 List was approved by WADA’s Executive Committee (ExCo) during its meeting on 22 September 2023 in Shanghai, China.

The List is one of the eight International Standards that are mandatory for all Signatories of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code). It designates what substances and methods are prohibited both in- and out-of-competition and which substances are banned in particular sports.

Major Modifications for 2024 

All Major Modifications for 2024 are outlined in the 2024 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes, including the following particular information regarding tramadol:

On 23 September 2022, the ExCo endorsed the recommendation by WADA’s List Expert Advisory Group (EAG) to prohibit the narcotic tramadol in competition, effective 1 January 2024. The delay in implementation was to ensure stakeholders had enough time to learn and adapt to this change, especially as it pertained to the education of athletes, their entourage, and medical personnel.

Tramadol has been on WADA’s Monitoring Program and data gathered through that program have indicated significant use in sports. Tramadol abuse, with its risk of physical dependence, opiate use disorder and overdoses, is of concern worldwide and has led to it being a controlled drug in many countries. Research studies funded by WADA, as referenced in the Explanatory Note, have also confirmed the potential for tramadol to enhance sports performance.

 

List of Prohibited Substances, Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes, and Monitoring Program, can be found in the DOCUMENT section.

 

 

The list of prohibited substances is an international standard issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) at least once a year since 2004.

The importance of the existence and publication of the List is, among other things, that athletes, as well as their auxiliary medical staff, get acquainted with which substances are prohibited, whose presence in the athlete’s sample (urine or blood) entails possible appropriate health and legal consequences for the athlete. career and his staff.

The chapters of the List contain classified substances, as well as methods according to the groups whose use is prohibited only in competition, in competition and out of competition, and those whose use is prohibited in certain sports.

Also, certain substances are marked as “specific”, which indicates the possibility that their intake was unintentional or without the purpose of improving the performance of the athlete. This division was established due to various legal implications for the athlete (as accurate as possible determination of individual responsibility).

Lists of Prohibited Substances can be found in the DOCUMENT section.