The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) would like to alert the Canadian sport community that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has released the 2009 Prohibited List. The new List comes into effect January 1, 2009.

The CCES will release the 2009 CCES Substance Classification Booklet in December 2008. This booklet lists the Canadian brand names according to their status on the Prohibited List and identifies a variety of drugs for various medical conditions that are not prohibited.

WADA has summarized the differences from the 2008 list in an explanatory note. The CCES would like to highlight certain changes for Canadian athletes.

Athletes that use the prohibited substances found in asthma medications for medically justified reasons will follow a different approval process. The Abbreviated Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) process has been discontinued. Athletes that use beta-2 agonists and glucocorticosteroids will see a new combination of declarations through ADAMS and on their doping control form, and a requirement to maintain a medical file that supports the use of the substance. The file is to be submitted to either their international federation or to the CCES, either in advance of competition or retroactively upon request. A variety of factors, such as the athlete’s level and the route of administration, determine the exact process. We advise you to contact the CCES for more information.

A large number of substances on the Prohibited List have been reclassified as “specified substances” because they are considered to be generally available in medicinal products or less likely to be abused as doping agents. Only anabolic agents and hormones, some stimulants, certain hormone antagonists and modulators, and all prohibited methods are NOT in this category. The effect of this change will be primarily reflected in the results management process, when the duration of a sanction will be determined from within a range of time based on the factors pertinent to each case.

Alpha reductase inhibitors are no longer prohibited as they have been rendered ineffective as masking agents by closer consideration of steroid profiles. An example of these types of inhibitors is finasteride, which is commonly used in the treatment of male pattern baldness and is currently sold in Canada under the brand names Propecia and Proscar. Intravenous infusions are still prohibited and require a TUE, but a list of exceptions is provided. The list of non-prohibited medical uses of intravenous infusions includes the management of surgical procedures, medical emergencies or clinical investigations, and injections with a simple syringe if the substance is not prohibited and is less than 50 ml. The CCES is an independent, national, non-profit organization. Our mission, to foster ethical sport for all Canadians, is carried out through research, promotion, education, detection and deterrence, as well as through programs and partnerships with other organizations.