WADA Prohibited List and ADRV Principles

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List sets out the substances and methods banned in sport, and an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) is any breach of the rules built around it.

Anti-doping reaches directly into the consulting room. Every time a sport and exercise medicine (SEM) doctor or musculoskeletal (MSK) clinician prescribes for an athlete, injects a painful joint or tendon, or recommends a treatment, they need to know whether it is permitted. A well-meaning treatment can cause a failed test.

This page covers the anti-doping system, the Prohibited List, the 11 ADRVs, and therapeutic use exemptions and safe prescribing. Ignorance is no defence, and the consequences fall on the athlete.