Prohibited List 2026
The World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List (PL) is a list of substances and methods prohibited in sport.
The PL is updated regularly, at least once a year. Therefore, it is important to regularly review its updates. The version of the PL that will be in effect on January 1 of the following year is published in advance, usually in October. In exceptional circumstances, a substance or method may be added to the PL at any time.
A substance or method will be considered for inclusion on the PL if the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), in its sole discretion, determines that the substance or method meets any two of three criteria:
1. the substance or method, alone or in combination with other substances or methods, is capable of enhancing or enhances athletic performance;
2. the use of the substance or method poses a real or potential risk to the athlete's health;
3. the use of the substance or method is contrary to the spirit of sport.
The spirit of sport is the celebration of the human spirit, body and mind. It is the essence of Olympism and is reflected in the values we find in and through sport, including:
- Health
- Ethics, fair play and honesty
- Athletes’ rights as set forth in the Code
- Excellence in performance
- Character and Education
- Fun and joy
- Teamwork
- Dedication and commitment
- Respect for rules and laws
- Respect for self and other Participants
- Courage
- Community and solidarity
The spirit of sport is expressed in how we play true. Doping is fundamentally contrary to the spirit of sport.
A substance (or method) is also included in the PL if it is capable of masking the use of other prohibited substances or prohibited methods. Furthermore, a substance not approved for human use will likely also be banned.
The PL review process begins at the beginning of the year.This is a lengthy process involving all stakeholders, including national anti-doping organizations.
WADA's Prohibited List Expert Advisory Group (LiEAG) analyzes current scientific data, information received from pharmaceutical companies, law enforcement agencies, and others. The draft LiEAG is then circulated to stakeholders for consultation. Following stakeholder consultations, the LiEAG provides its findings, recommendations, and guidance to WADA's Health, Medical, and Research Committee. The final version of the LiEAG is approved by WADA's Executive Committee in September.
The Prohibited List is divided into two groups: substances and methods that are prohibited at all times, and substances and methods that are prohibited in-competition only. Important: substances (their metabolites or markers) prohibited only in-competition must not be present in an athlete's in-competition sample, regardless of when their use ceased. In-competition period is the period beginning at 11:59 PM on the day before the competition in which an athlete participates.
The following naming conventions for substances are used in the PL:
- for substances assigned an International Nonproprietary Name (INN), that name is used as the primary name;
- in cases where the commonly used name of a substance is better known than the INN, that name is provided in parentheses;
- if the INN is unknown, the nomenclature of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is used, and may in some cases be accompanied by the common name. As INNs are assigned, the list of substances is expanded with the addition of the INN, and, if deemed appropriate, the previous IUPAC name may be retained for a specified period of time;
- general examples of substances and methods are provided in all classes, but these examples are not exhaustive.
RUSADA's Check the Medication service allows you to check any medicinal product (by its trade name) included in the State Register of Medicines -
https://list.rusada.ru/
The fact that a substance is not included in the PL does not mean it is not prohibited, as most classes include only a few common examples and are not exhaustive.
Furthermore, Section S0 (Non-Approved Substances) includes substances used as doping agents and not included in other sections of the PL. They are not approved by any government regulatory agency for therapeutic use in humans. This includes substances in preclinical or clinical development, substances no longer in production, designer drugs, or veterinary substances. A designer drug is defined as a synthetic analogue of a legally restricted or prohibited drug that is created to circumvent regulation.
Most prohibited substances belong to one of the classes S1 through S9. Therefore, these are rare cases when a substance included in the S0 category after a case-by-case assessment.
Substances and methods prohibited in sport may be used for medical treatment. In such cases, the athlete must obtain a TUE. Detailed information on the therapeutic use of substances and methods prohibited in sport can be found in the TUE section -
https://rusada.ru/substances/tue/
