.WADA’s latest TUE guidelines introduce clearer criteria to prevent abuse and strengthen anti-doping controls, and ensure that therapeutic use exemptions are granted only where there is a legitimate medical need.
To ensure consistent application of TUEs and avoid discretionary interpretations, WADA works with international experts to develop guidelines that provide a rigorous technical framework for physicians and Testing Commissions.
Based on the best available scientific evidence, these guidelines aim to address common concerns and provide clear criteria for complex cases that require a consistent approach.
One of the key issues addressed in the new publication is the use of human growth hormone (hGH) in athletes with short stature who do not have growth hormone deficiency. Working with a panel of leading endocrinologists and a sports medicine specialist, WADA has determined that TUEs will only be granted to athletes whose height falls below 2.25 standard deviations on the growth curve.
In addition, treatment may only be continued until the athlete reaches the 5th percentile of adult height, at which point it is no longer considered medically necessary and therefore will not be permitted.
The publication of this updated guideline is supported by an article in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism that details the scientific basis and development process of these criteria.
These documents serve as a key tool in the medical anti-doping field, providing structured information to help specialists accurately assess TUE requests and ensure that decisions are impartial and evidence-based.
With this update, WADA reaffirms its commitment to the global harmonisation of the anti-doping system and to ensuring that medical treatments in sport are used only for genuine medical needs and do not become a disguised means of enhancing performance.
