WADA's 2027 Prohibited List: What Changes for Cyclists and Triathletes

From Approval to 1 January

WADA revises the List every year. According to its release, the work starts with a meeting in January and ends with publication by 1 October. WADA’s List Expert Advisory Group gathers research, trends and intelligence. A draft goes out to stakeholders, and WADA’s Health, Medical and Research Committee then makes its recommendations. The Executive Committee approves the List at its September meeting.

A substance or method can only be added if it meets at least two of three criteria. It enhances or could enhance performance, it is an actual or potential health risk, or it violates the spirit of sport. WADA publishes the List three months before it takes effect so that athletes can learn the changes. Director General Olivier Niggli encouraged athletes to read the Summary of Major Modifications “to avoid inadvertent use of substances and methods that are prohibited in sport”.

The List is not the only change on that date. WADA notes that from 1 January 2027 there will be nine International Standards, after a new International Standard for Intelligence and Investigations was added.

GLP-1 Drugs: Still Permitted, Still Monitored

WADA’s release says the status of GLP-1 receptor agonists, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, stays the same for 2027 until more data is available on their possible effects on athletes. WADA notes that these drugs are now widely used in society, and that its List Expert Advisory Group has examined all the available scientific literature.

Professor Olivier Rabin, WADA’s Senior Director of Science and Medicine, said that “there is not enough evidence available for us to conclude with confidence” that the drugs meet the criteria for the List. One sport-related study is already running, and WADA has started a second that will look at how these substances affect athletes. WADA expects the two studies to give it the data for a firm decision. The release does not give a date for that decision.

Until then the drugs stay on the Monitoring Program. Article 4.5 of the World Anti-Doping Code sets this up for substances that are not prohibited but that WADA wants to track, to spot patterns of misuse in sport. The 2027 Monitoring Program lists GLP-1 agonists (semaglutide and tirzepatide), monitored both in and out of competition. WADA’s 2024 explanatory note says semaglutide was added that year to examine the prevalence and pattern of its use in sport, and USADA confirms it is not prohibited. The 2026 Monitoring Program was the first to name tirzepatide; WADA’s 2026 note describes this as a clarification that urine monitoring of semaglutide also covers tirzepatide. For what these drugs can do to body composition and power, see our article on GLP-1 drugs and W/kg.

What Changes on 1 January 2027

WADA calls these the major modifications. None adds or removes a whole class of substances. Most add examples or clarify wording, and WADA says the new examples are there to help athletes identify prohibited substances.

Cannabinoids (S8)

In the redline version, the old first line of S8 is struck out. It said that all natural and synthetic cannabinoids are prohibited. The 2027 text prohibits tetrahydrocannabinols (THCs), plus semi-synthetic and synthetic cannabinoids that mimic the effects of Δ⁹-THC. The examples are now Δ⁹-THC as found in cannabis, Δ⁸-THC and Δ¹⁰-THC, hexahydrocannabinols (HHC), and the synthetic compounds AB-FUBINACA and 5F-ADB. WADA says the changes reflect current science on the THC-like effects of commonly encountered cannabinoids.

S8 is still prohibited in-competition only, and THC is still a Substance of Abuse. Cannabidiol (CBD) is still not prohibited, but WADA’s explanatory note warns that CBD extracted from cannabis plants may contain varying amounts of THC, and THC remains prohibited. The change to the introduction also matters here. It makes clear that metabolites of Substances of Abuse should be taken into consideration in results management when relevant.

Glucocorticoids (S9)

All glucocorticoids are still prohibited in-competition when given by injection, orally (including buccal, gingival and sublingual use) or rectally. Other routes are not prohibited when used within the manufacturer’s licensed doses and therapeutic indications. Those routes are inhaled, and topical: dental-intracanal, dermal, intranasal, ophthalmological, otic and perianal. For 2027, WADA adds vaginal administration to that list of permitted routes.

Hormone and metabolic modulators (S4) and peptides (S0)

S4.2 covers anti-estrogenic substances. WADA says its title was expanded to match current terminology. The redline shows the addition: next to selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), the title now names selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs). Imlunestrant joins the examples. Under metabolic modulators (S4.4), WADA adds seladelpar as an example of a PPARδ agonist, and SLU-PP-332 and SLU-PP-915 as examples of modulators that act particularly on oxidative metabolism. S4 is prohibited at all times.

In S0 (non-approved substances), the word peptides now appears in the definition. WADA’s note says many peptides not approved for human use meet the criteria for the List. It warns that a peptide that is not named may still be prohibited and may be harmful to health.

Diuretics (S5) and beta-blockers (P1)

Eplerenone and finerenone are added as examples of diuretics and masking agents, which are prohibited at all times. The P1 change only removes the words all disciplines from the billiards entry. The sports that P1 lists are archery, automobile, billiards, darts, golf, mini-golf, shooting and some underwater sports. Cycling and triathlon are not among them.

The 2027 Monitoring Program

WADA’s explanatory note says several substances were taken off the Monitoring Program because enough information had been collected. Tramadol and fentanyl were removed only from out-of-competition monitoring. Both are still named in S7 (narcotics) of the 2027 List and are still prohibited in-competition. Caffeine is on the 2027 program, monitored in-competition only, and is not prohibited.

What Amateur Racers Should Check

Whether the rules apply to you

WADA’s release states the basic rule. Athletes are responsible for any prohibited substance found in their body. If you are unsure whether a substance is allowed, contact your International Federation or your National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO). In the United States, USADA’s Anti-Doping 101 page says it tests at every level of sanctioned competition. That includes any athlete in a race that falls under a national governing body’s jurisdiction. Outside the US, check with your NADO whether its rules cover you.

Medicines: check before you race

Global DRO is an online database that shows whether a specific medicine is prohibited under the current WADA List. It is run by Sport Integrity Canada, Swiss Sport Integrity, UK Anti-Doping and USADA. The Japan Anti-Doping Agency, Sport Integrity Australia and New Zealand’s Sport Integrity Commission are listed as licensees. You can search products sold in Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK and the US. USADA tells athletes to use it for over-the-counter and prescription medicines and to keep the reference number of each search. The ITA’s TUE page also suggests a medicine-checking tool like Global DRO. Global DRO does not cover dietary supplements.

Therapeutic Use Exemptions

WADA says athletes with a legitimate medical reason for using a prohibited substance or method can apply for a TUE. The ITA lists four criteria, all of which must be met. They include a diagnosed medical condition and no reasonable permitted alternative. Since 2021 the ITA has reviewed TUEs for the UCI, according to a UCI release. The ITA’s TUE Assistant covers both the UCI and World Triathlon, and it tells you whether to apply to the ITA (international-level athletes) or to your NADO.

For national-level athletes, the ITA says to apply to your NADO in advance, as soon as the need arises. A NADO TUE is valid only for national-level competition and testing, so racing an international event can mean asking the ITA to recognise it. For substances prohibited only in-competition, the ITA advises applying at least 30 days before your next race. It aims to decide within 21 days of receiving a complete application.

USADA’s TUE page asks recreational and masters athletes who enter sanctioned events to send in a TUE Pre-Check Form first. USADA replies within 3–5 business days. One of the grounds it lists for a retroactive TUE is an athlete’s competitive status (not international- or national-level). If you take a prescribed medicine, talk to the doctor who prescribed it about the medical side. For the rules, WADA’s advice when in doubt is to contact your NADO or International Federation.

Supplements: the risk is yours

USADA says that using dietary supplements is risky and that TUEs cannot be issued for supplements. UK Anti-Doping’s guidance says athletes are solely responsible for any prohibited substance in their system, however it got there. It warns that products can be contaminated during manufacture or carry inaccurate labels, and that no supplement is guaranteed to be free of prohibited substances. UKAD’s advice is to use only batch-tested products and to check the batch number before use, through Informed Sport. It warns that athletes could receive a four-year ban. WADA’s 2027 note adds two warnings of its own: CBD extracted from cannabis plants may contain THC, and a peptide that is not named on the List may still be prohibited. For one popular product category, see our look at ketone supplements.

Sources

• WADA (primary): “WADA publishes 2027 Prohibited List” (news release, 21 September 2026); 2027 Prohibited List resource page (published 21 September 2026); 2027 Prohibited List, clean and redline versions (files dated 26 August 2026); 2027 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes (file dated 17 August 2026); The 2027 Monitoring Program (file dated 21 August 2026). All read at wada-ama.org in October 2026.
• Federations: World Triathlon, “WADA publishes Prohibited List update for 2027” (12 October 2026); World Rugby, “WADA publishes 2027 Prohibited List” (6 October 2026); UCI, “UCI further reinforces the independence of its anti-doping programme by delegating results management to the ITA” (9 February 2026), for the 2021 delegation of TUE review to the ITA.
• TUEs and medicine checks: International Testing Agency, “Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE)” and “TUE Assistant” (ita.sport, read October 2026); USADA, “Therapeutic Use Exemptions” and “Anti-Doping 101” (usada.org, read October 2026); Global DRO home page (globaldro.com, read October 2026).
• Supplements: UK Anti-Doping, “Managing Supplement Risks” (ukad.org.uk, read October 2026); USADA, “Supplement Connect” (usada.org, read October 2026).
• GLP-1 monitoring history: WADA, 2024 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes (file dated 22 September 2023); WADA, The 2024, 2025 and 2026 Monitoring Programs; WADA, 2026 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes (all wada-ama.org, read October 2026); USADA, “#AskUSADA – Is Ozempic prohibited in sport?” (usada.org, read October 2026).

Sections and examples are quoted from the 2027 List as approved. WADA’s Athlete and ASP Guide to the 2027 List, due in December 2026, had not been published when this article was written.

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