What is the Prohibited List (the List)?

It is the single document identifying the substances and methods that are prohibited at all times (in-competition and out-of-competition), in-competition only, and in particular sports. Substances and methods are classified by categories (e.g., steroids, stimulants, gene doping).

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) produces a list of substances and methods that are banned in sport in the form of the Prohibited List. It is updated at least annually, with the new list taking effect on January 1 of each year.

It is important that athletes and Athlete Support Personnel are familiar with the Prohibited List and know how to check whether medications are prohibited in sport.

A substance or method can be added to the Prohibited List if it meets at least two of the following three criteria:
1. It has the potential to enhance or enhances sport performance.
2. Use of the substance or method represents an actual or potential health risk to the athlete.
3. Use of the substance or method violates the spirit of sport.

The Prohibited List includes substances and methods that are categorised into three groups:
1. Substances and methods prohibited at all times
2. Substances and methods prohibited in-competition
3. Substances prohibited in particular sports

According to the Code, the in-competition is the period commencing at 11:59 p.m. on the day before a Competition in which the Athlete is scheduled to participate through the end of such Competition and the Sample collection process related to such Competition.

The in-competition period is very important to understand when it relates to substances that are prohibited in-competition. When a substance is prohibited in-competition, it must leave the athlete’s system by the time the said competition begins. It does not mean that the athlete must stop taking the substance by the time the in-competition period begins. Different substances take different amounts of time to leave the system – athletes must be extremely careful to make sure that they are not caught with a positive test as a result of taking a substance prohibited in-competition.

The most up-to-date version of the Prohibited List can be found here.

How often is the List revised?

The List is revised at least once a year. Each year, the updating of the List is finalized by WADA in September. The updated List is published by October 1 and comes into effect on January 1 of the following year.

What is the Monitoring Program?
WADA shall establish a monitoring program regarding substances that are NOT on the Prohibited List, but which WADA wishes to monitor in order to detect patterns of misuse in sport.

WADA shall publish, in advance of any testing, the substances that will be monitored. Laboratories will report the instances of reported use or detected presence of these substances to WADA periodically, by sport, and whether the samples were collected in-competition or out-of-competition. Such reports shall not contain additional information regarding specific samples.

The reported use or detected presence of a monitored substance shall not constitute an anti-doping rule violation.