The 2024 WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) Prohibited List comes into effect on 1st January 2024.
The big news is that the painkiller tramadol is now on the banned list. If you are going to compete and you currently take tramadol, you will need to either get a substitute drug prescribed by your doctor, or get a therapeutic use exemption certificate (“TUE”). Almost all the other changes are specific named drugs in classes of drugs that are already banned.
As before, social and recreational drugs remain banned, including the active components of drugs that are increasingly legally available in many countries, and that exist in small quantities in products marketed for other purposes, e.g. CBD oil widely marketed as a painkiller.
Advice on nutritional supplements remains, in general, to stick to proper foods and a healthy diet, and nutritional supplements should not be necessary. If you do use one, then basically it’s up to you to research it on the internet and keep a record of the information you find (your internet browser will contain a ‘Save Page’ option, or your phone / computer will contain a screenshot function), so that you can take a copy of what you found. UK Anti-Doping has issued advice on the use of supplements and asked for all athletes and coaches to read it – here.
If you are prescribed any of the prohibited or restricted substances for medical reasons, you will, as before, need to get Therapeutic Use Exemption certificate (TUE).
For more detailed information, WADA’s list of major changes since 2023 and explaratory notes (6 pages) is here. The full 2024 WADA Prohibited List (24 pages) is here. An easy way to check particular medications is by using the website www.globaldro.com.
To stay in touch with changes, you can use the “100% Me Clean Sport” mobile app, available for Apple and Android – search for ‘Clean Sport’. Medicines and ingredients can quickly be looked up to see if they are banned. (Plus other useful stuff for those on out-of-competition testing programmes.)
Oxfordshire Racewalking 