Source: This article summarizes the World Anti-Doping Agency’s official 2026 Prohibited List (effective January 1, 2026). It is provided for general education only and is not a substitute for the official document — please refer to the full list at wada-ama.org or the PDF version for authoritative, complete details, including all substance classes and sport-specific exceptions.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List is updated each year. The 2026 List takes effect on January 1, 2026 and is part of the World Anti-Doping Program. It is a list of substances and methods that may be prohibited in sport—not a list of treatments that are automatically unsafe or inappropriate for everyone.
Two basic timing rules
Some items are prohibited at all times. This means both during competition and outside competition. These sections include non-approved substances (S0), anabolic agents (S1), peptide hormones and growth factors (S2), beta-2 agonists (S3), hormone and metabolic modulators (S4), diuretics and masking agents (S5), and prohibited methods (M1–M3).
Other items are prohibited in competition only. WADA defines this period, in principle, as beginning just before midnight on the day before an athlete’s competition and continuing through the competition and sample-collection process. The 2026 in-competition sections include stimulants (S6), narcotics (S7), cannabinoids (S8), and glucocorticoids (S9).
A third section covers substances prohibited only in particular sports. In 2026, this is beta-blockers (P1), which are prohibited in competition in sports such as archery, billiards, darts, golf, shooting, automobile, mini-golf, and some underwater sports. The List marks some sports, including archery, shooting, and specified underwater disciplines, as also prohibiting beta-blockers outside competition.
What stands out in the 2026 List?
The List is detailed, and it often prohibits whole groups of substances—not only one brand or one drug. Examples include testosterone and other anabolic-androgenic steroids; SARMs such as ostarine (enobosarm) and ligandrol (LGD-4033); EPO-related agents and drugs that activate hypoxia-inducible pathways; growth hormone and releasing factors; and growth-factor-related substances such as IGF-1, PDGF, VEGF, and thymosin-beta-4 derivatives such as TB-500.
The 2026 document also specifically lists BPC-157 under S0, the category for pharmacological substances without current government approval for human therapeutic use. S0 also covers designer drugs, drugs in development, discontinued drugs, and substances approved only for veterinary use. “Not approved” does not mean harmless; it means the substance is not an approved human therapy and may carry additional safety and quality concerns.
Inhaled asthma medicines require careful attention. Beta-2 agonists are prohibited at all times, but the 2026 List gives dose-based exceptions for inhaled salbutamol, formoterol, salmeterol, and vilanterol. Exceeding the listed limits can create a doping concern, so athletes should not assume that a prescribed inhaler is automatically permitted.
The methods section is also important for patients considering performance or recovery treatments. It prohibits blood manipulation, tampering with samples, gene and cell doping, and intravenous infusions or injections totaling more than 100 mL in 12 hours, except in specified hospital, surgical, or diagnostic circumstances. The List describes gene and cell doping broadly, including gene editing, gene silencing, gene transfer, and use of normal or genetically modified cells or cell components when they have the potential to enhance performance.
For musculoskeletal care, corticosteroid route and timing matter. The 2026 List prohibits glucocorticoids in competition when given by injectable, oral (including buccal, gingival, or sublingual), or rectal routes. It says other routes—including inhaled and several topical routes—are not prohibited when used within licensed doses and indications. A planned injection can therefore require advance review, even when the medication is medically justified.
What should athletes do?
Do not rely on a medication’s brand name, a supplement label, or a quick internet search. Keep a current list of all medicines, injections, supplements, and recovery products, and check the exact substance, dose, route, and timing with an anti-doping organization or qualified sports-medicine professional.
If a legitimate medical treatment is necessary but involves a prohibited substance or method, an athlete may need a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). This is especially important before planned corticosteroid injections or orthobiologic procedures such as PRP, because the status may depend on the product, method, route, timing, and sport. Check TUE requirements before treatment, not after a test result.
This article is general education based on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. It is not individualized medical, medication, or anti-doping advice. The official WADA List and the athlete’s relevant anti-doping organization should be used for current, sport-specific decisions.
WADA List 2026
Source: World Anti-Doping Agency, The 2026 Prohibited List, valid January 1, 2026.