As a part of its ongoing efforts to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the anti-doping landscape worldwide, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) wishes to provide clarity to athletes and other stakeholders regarding the status of SARS-Cov-2 vaccines relative to the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods.
While there will be multiple vaccines developed and deployed, and therefore definitive statements concerning their compositions is premature, athletes can be confident that WADA will continue to monitor all available information and advise them and other members of the anti-doping community in the event an ingredient of a vaccine might be problematic.
The health of athletes is the primary concern of WADA during this pandemic and they can rest assured that in the highly unlikely event that a vaccine may cause a possible anti-doping rule violation under the World Anti-Doping Code, WADA’s oversight of any subsequent results management will ensure that vaccines and the principles of anti-doping do not come into conflict. To be clear, despite the novelty of these vaccines, there is no reason to believe such vaccines would contravene anti-doping rules.
WADA has a memorandum of understanding with various pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, as well as that industry’s representative body, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA). WADA is in communication with them on this matter in order to ascertain the exact composition of the various vaccines currently being made available. WADA will continue to communicate with athletes and other stakeholders as relevant information becomes available.
In the interim, for other COVID-19 communications and resources that WADA has issued, please refer to the dedicated section of the Agency’s website.