WADA expands list of prohibited substances for athletes

Some medicines are banned

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will add the pain reliever tramadol to its list of banned substances for athletes in competition starting in 2024. In addition, WADA maintained its ban on the use of cannabis by athletes.

According to REUTERS, such decisions were made on September 23 by the WADA executive committee after a meeting in Sydney based on the recommendations of the WADA advisory group on the list of prohibited substances.

“The abuse of tramadol, with its risk of physical dependence, opiate addiction and overdose in the general population, is a matter of concern. This has led to it being considered a controlled drug in many countries.

WADA-funded studies have also confirmed the ability of tramadol to improve physical performance,” the WADA press release said.

Former England football goalkeeper Chris Kirkland claimed in July 2022 that he nearly ended his life due to tramadol addiction and abuse after using an opioid to treat a back injury.

WADA said that delaying the implementation of the ban until 2024 should allow the impact of the ban to be communicated to athletes, their entourage and medical personnel.

Another significant decision by the Board in Sydney was the reduction of the ban on the use of certain substances by athletes who test positive out of competition from two years to one to three months, depending on the circumstances of each case.

The cannabis ban has come into the spotlight in 2021. As MK wrote, at the beginning of July 2021, a big scandal erupted in the United States: the potential Olympic star ShaKarri Richardson, who was one of the favorites in the 100-meter race, was disqualified. Then the reason for such a decision by WADA was the smoking of marijuana by an athlete. The athlete pleaded guilty. Due to WADA’s punishment, she missed the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

As Reuters reports in its article, after requests from some unnamed “interested parties”, WADA allegedly agreed to review the cannabis ban. However, in the end, she upheld all her previous decisions on this drug.

Earlier, MK wrote that American basketball player Britney Griner was sentenced to 9 years in prison for drug smuggling.

On August 4, 2022, the Khimki City Court announced the verdict in the Greiner case. The American basketball star was found guilty of drug smuggling and possession. February 17 Britney was detained at the airport “Sheremetyevo». A hash oil vape was found in her luggage. The basketball player pleaded guilty. The athlete was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony and a fine of 1 million rubles.