World Anti-Doping Agency Releases 2024 Banned Substance List: Tramadol Now Banned In-Competition
A new list of banned substances takes effect throughout international sports on January 1, 2024. The document provided by the World Anti-Doping Agency specifies which substances are prohibited in-competition and which are outlawed at all times, plus which are disallowed only in particular sports. The list remains mostly static from year-to-year, but there are a handful of changes, and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a memo to athletes highlighting some key points.
Most notably, the substance tramadol is now prohibited in-competition. According to USADA, “Data has indicated significant use of tramadol in sports and research studies funded by WADA have confirmed the potential for tramadol to enhance physical performance, in addition to its potential to adversely affect athlete health due to its opioid properties.” The memo noted that WADA had warned athletes about the ban taking effect last year, so this news should not come as a surprise to athletes.
Additionally, the updates to the code include provisions allowing the donation of blood plasma via plasmapheresis by an official registered blood donation facility, although USADA recommends keeping records of blood donations, and a “wash-out” period for rectal glucocorticoids has been specified. The new version of the code adds examples of anabolic agents banned at all times and gives a few new substances that are not eligible for therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) that allow athletes to continue taking a product for medical reasons.
Finally, WADA will begin monitoring athletes for tapentadol and dihydrocodeine with the goal of examining “patterns of use in-competition” while semaglutide (GLP-1 analog) will be “added to examine prevalence of use in sport.”
Read the full memo from USADA here and the full 2024 banned substances list here.