May 13, 2013 (Montreal, QC) – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) made significant progress in its mission to enhance global support in the fight against doping in sport during the Agency’s Executive Committee and Foundation Board meetings held in Montreal this weekend.

The meetings focused mainly on proposed amendments to the third draft of the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code in context of the Code Review Process with stakeholders that commenced in November 2011. The review process included three phases of consultation and will conclude at the World Conference on Doping in Sport in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 12-15, 2013.

A large number of submissions were received from stakeholders during the three phases of the consultation process. There have been nearly 4,000 individual comments on the Code and International Standards.

“WADA values the input of these stakeholders and is pleased with the level of their engagement throughout the review process,” confirmed John Fahey, WADA President. “The Agency continually seeks to enhance the framework that supports the anti-doping system, and revisions depend on these contributions.”

With the third draft, the Code becomes clearer in language, shorter in length, and the articles stronger. The amendments put forward provide for:

– Longer periods of ineligibility for real cheats and more flexibility in sanctioning in other specific circumstances.
– Consideration of the principles of proportionality and human rights.
– Assistance in the increasing importance of investigations in the fight against doping.
– Encompassing Athlete Support Personnel who are involved in doping.
– Emphasis on the concepts of smart test distribution planning, smart menus for Sample analysis, and smart Sample storage.
– Added clarity and equality in balancing the interests of International Federations and National Anti-Doping Organizations.

Code Compliance Strategy
The WADA Foundation Board acknowledged the Code compliance strategy for monitoring compliance of the “2015 World Anti-Doping Code.”

WADA has looked at ways to improve the compliance report and to ensure it is a tool to measure quality and to judge the effectiveness of anti-doping programs.

“Quality WADA-approved testing programs are needed to ensure, that testing is effective and that sophisticated cheaters are found. This will ultimately advance the fight against doping in sport,” said Mr. Fahey.

Effectiveness of Testing Programs
The WADA Foundation Board received a report from the Ad Hoc Working Group responsible for reviewing the “ineffectiveness of testing” programs. The Ad Hoc Working Group, chaired by former WADA President Richard W. Pound, made a number of recommendations and suggestions on improvements to testing programs. WADA has immediately responded to the issues the Agency can address from a management perspective.

The Code Drafting Team responsible for revising the Code and International Standards noted all the recommendations affecting the revision process and incorporated many of them within the drafts provided at the weekend meetings.

A significant amount of work in response to the report has already been undertaken. Other recommendations are for the respective stakeholder groups to consider. The WADA Executive Committee directed that these groups be informed and asked to report to the Executive Committee at its meeting on 11 September in Buenos Aires.

World Conference on Doping in Sport
Foundation Board Members were presented with the approved program of the World Conference on Doping in Sport to be held November 12-15 in Johannesburg. The main focus will be the review and endorsement of the final version of the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code and related International Standards.

The WADA Executive Committee and Foundation Board will convene in Johannesburg prior to the Conference and following its conclusion. A special meeting of the Foundation Board will also be required to approve the World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards prior to the Conference endorsing them.

Other matters
Further to the CAS award in the Andrus Veerpalu case last March, as the CAS panel was not “comfortably satisfied” with the decision limits currently applied to hGH testing, WADA is undertaking the work required to re-establish the limits with the assistance of independent teams of statisticians.

The Executive Committee has decided to implement immediately a modification to WADA Technical document TD 2013DL to increase the threshold level for marijuana to 150 ng/ml. Marijuana is a prohibited substance for in-competition testing, and remains on the Prohibited List. It has never been prohibited out-of-competition. The change to the threshold will mean that athletes using the substance in-competition will be detected. The threshold can be monitored and changed at any time.

The Athlete Committee urged the Kenyan government to put in place an independent inquiry to look into the doping allegations that the country’s athletes have been facing for some time now.

November 18, 2011 – The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) would like to alert the Canadian sport community that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has released the 2012 Prohibited List. This advisory note details some of the major changes, which come into effect January 1, 2012.

Under Beta-2 Agonists (S3), formoterol is no longer prohibited when taken at a dosage under 36 micrograms over 24 hours. The 2011 list dropped the prohibition on two other beta-2 agonists under certain levels (salbutamol at 1,600 micrograms over 24 hours and salmeterol at an inhaled dose). These changes permit the use of certain asthma medications at a physician-prescribed dosage. Athletes are no longer required to obtain a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for formoterol, sabutamol and salmeterol when administered by inhalation, however, the three substances remained prohibited by any other route. All other beta-2 agonists, including terbutaline, are still prohibited and continue to require a TUE.

Beta-blockers (P2) are no longer prohibited in the following sports: bobsleigh, skeleton, curling, modern pentathlon, motorcycling, sailing and wrestling. They remain prohibited in 12 sports, including archery, golf, shooting, ski jumping, and some freestyle ski and snowboard disciplines.

The CCES would like to remind athletes and their support personnel that pseudoephedrine is prohibited in-competition. Because this stimulant is a common ingredient in cough and cold medications, athletes should diligently check all seasonal medications to avoid an inadvertent violation. For more details and a list of prohibited and not prohibited cough and cold medications, visit www.cces.ca/en/coughcold.

WADA conducts a Monitoring Program to detect potential patterns of abuse of substances that are not on the Prohibited List. Nicotine is one of several stimulants added to the Monitoring Program for 2012. For more details, click HERE.

Athletes can verify the prohibited status of their medication using the following CCES resources, all of which will be updated on January 1, 2012 to reflect the new Prohibited List.

– Global DRO (www.globaldro.com)
– CCES Substance Classification Booklet (www.cces.ca/scb)
– Email substances@cces.ca
– Call the Info Line at 1-800-672-7775

For substances that require a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE), athletes subject to doping control should consult the CCES or their international federation to get complete information on the application process.

– The CCES TUE Wizard (www.cces.ca/tuewizard) can help athletes find out if they need to apply for a TUE for their prescribed medication, where to submit a TUE application, and what to include in the TUE application.
– Email tue-aut@cces.ca.

Further reading:
– World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List web page (including the 2012 list, summary of changes, and explanatory note) HERE.
– World Anti-Doping Agency Therapeutic Use Exemption web page HERE.

May 14, 2011 – The WADA Executive Committee and Foundation Board will meet on 14-15th May 2011 in Montreal (CAN) including participation by FIS President Gian Franco Kasper who is member of the WADA Executive Committee.

Some of the agenda items will include an update on the so-called Compliance Report and a review of the implementation of Code-compliant programs. Moreover, an update is due related to the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), its purpose as a successful means for effective target testing, and the need for ABPs to be incorporated into ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration and Management System). Finally, an update on the Regional Anti-Doping Organizations’ activities will be presented given their increasingly important role.