The World Anti-Doping Agency has played down concerns that COVID-19 vaccines could contain banned substances and result in bans for athletes, according to a story from Insider.
British para swimmer Tully Kearney expressed concerns that she may have to choose between her health and risking a ban that would see her miss out on the Tokyo Games. Kearney had qualified to swim in Rio but had to withdraw from the Games due to worsening progression of her neurological condition which causes muscle weakness, as well as complications with an ongoing shoulder surgery.
“I’m actually shocked being in the ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ group and likely to be called for vaccination soon that this has not been dealt with sooner!” she tweeted.
“So do I risk potential serious illness/death from Covid or a doping ban and miss out on going to Tokyo?!”
WADA released a press statement last week that eschewed any broad statements on the vaccine, since multiple vaccines of different types are in development. But it stressed that its priority is safety and that it, “will ensure that vaccines and the principles of anti-doping do not come into conflict.”
From a press release by WADA:
While there will be multiple vaccines developed and deployed, and therefore definitive statements concerning their compositions is premature, athletes can be confident that WADA will continue to monitor all available information and advise them and other members of the anti-doping community in the event an ingredient of a vaccine might be problematic.
The health of athletes is the primary concern of WADA during this pandemic and they can rest assured that in the highly unlikely event that a vaccine may cause a possible anti-doping rule violation under the World Anti-Doping Code, WADA’s oversight of any subsequent results management will ensure that vaccines and the principles of anti-doping do not come into conflict. To be clear, despite the novelty of these vaccines, there is no reason to believe such vaccines would contravene anti-doping rules.
WADA has a memorandum of understanding with various pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, as well as that industry’s representative body, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA). WADA is in communication with them on this matter in order to ascertain the exact composition of the various vaccines currently being made available. WADA will continue to communicate with athletes and other stakeholders as relevant information becomes available.
On December 11, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization for a vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older. The emergency use authorization allows the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the U.S.
On Monday, vaccinations began in the United States, while vaccinations in Great Britain began last week.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire world, forcing the shift of the Olympic Games to the summer of 2021, the first time the Games have ever had to be altered since the cancellation in 1944 due to World War II. IOC President Thomas Bach has assured the Games will go on as scheduled this summer even as cases around the world continue to rise and widespread vaccination remains are months away.