IFA wishes to remind the Fistball community that the WADA 2026 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (List) is now in force. The 2026 List was approved by WADA’s Executive Committee (ExCo) during its meeting on 11 September 2025.
The List is one of the eight International Standards that are mandatory for all Signatories of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code). It designates which substances and methods are prohibited both in- and out-of-competition and which substances are banned in particular sports.
Major modifications for 2026
As outlined in the 2026 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes, the major modifications for 2026 include the following:
- Further examples or clarifications have been added to the following substance classes to help athletes and their entourage better identify prohibited substances: Anabolic agents, Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances, and mimetics, Hormone and metabolic modulators, and Stimulants.
- The dosing intervals of salmeterol have been changed to avoid potential ergogenic effects, though the maximum daily delivered dose remains the same.
- More details have been given about the prohibition of withdrawal of blood and blood components.
- The non-diagnostic use of carbon monoxide (CO) has been added to the Prohibited Methods as a new section, M1.4. The use of carbon monoxide for diagnostic purposes, such as total hemoglobin mass measurements or the determination of pulmonary diffusion capacity, is not prohibited.
- Cell components (e.g., nuclei and organelles such as mitochondria and ribosomes) have been added to the existing prohibition of using normal or genetically modified cells.
- It has been clarified in the Glucocorticoids Washout Table that use of sustained-release formulations may result in detectable glucocorticoid levels past the washout period due to prolonged systemic absorption.
Educational resources
In addition to the documents linked above, WADA also provides educational resources to assist in preparations for implementing the revised list.
- For ADOs: As part of its Code Implementation Support Program, WADA has developed a checklist to help ADOs take the right steps to prepare their organization and athletes to implement the revised list. As a general resource that targets process rather than specific changes in any given year’s List, it can be consulted on an annual basis. The checklist is available here.
- For Athletes and ASP: Each year, WADA develops the Athlete and ASP Guide to the List, which is geared towards informing athletes and ASP of the specific changes they will need to onboard for the coming year. The Athlete and ASP Guide to the 2026 List can be accessed as an e-learning course on ADEL, or for anyone who benefits from a different format, a PDF copy of the course is available here.
Languages and formats
The 2026 Prohibited List is available for download in English, German, as well as French, Spanish on the WADA website.
