2019 WADA prohibited list

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published the 2019 list of prohibited substances and methods in sport, which comes into effect in all UEFA competitions as from 1 January 2019. Implementation of the List is mandatory for organisations that have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code.

For a substance or method to be added to the List, it must be determined that it meets two of the following three criteria: 1. it has the potential to enhance, or enhances sport performance; 2. it represents an actual or potential health risk to the athletes; or, 3. it violates the spirit of sport.

It should be noted that, for players who have a legitimate medical reason for using a prohibited substance or method that is on the List, they may be accommodated if they meet the criteria outlined in the International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (ISTUE).

It is also important to mention that the use of nutritional / dietary supplements can be risky, considering too many of them can still be contaminated with a prohibited substance which may trigger a failed doping test.

The 2019 list contains several changes compared to the 2018 list. Please refer to the document Summary of modifications which lists them all. Several examples were added to existing classes this year, in particular:

• Example of endogenous anabolic androgenic steroids: epiandrosterone (3β-hydroxy-5α-androstan-17-one), available in some nutritional supplements.

• Examples of Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) activating agents: daprodustat (GSK1278863) and vadadustat (AKB-6548).

• Example of beta-2-agonist: tretoquinol (trimetoquinol), an ingredient commonly found in oral cold and flu medications, particularly in some countries in Asia.

• Examples of aromatase inhibitors: 2-androstenol (5α-androst-2-en-17-ol), 3-androstenol (5α-androst-3-en-17-ol) and 3-androstenone (5α-androst-3-en-17-one).

• Examples of S4.4: myostatin-neutralizing antibodies (e.g. domagrozumab, landogrozumab, stamulumab), myostatin-binding proteins (e.g. follistatin, myostatin propeptide), agents reducing or ablating myostatin expression, activin receptor IIB competitors such as e.g. decoy activin receptors (e.g. ACE-031), anti-activin receptor IIB antibodies (e.g. bimagrumab), and activin A-neutralizing antibodies.

• Additional analogues of methylhexaneamine: 5-methylhexan-2-amine (1,4-dimethylpentylamine) and 3-methylhexan-2-amine (1,2-dimethylpentylamine).