admin The World Players Association (WPA) said athletes who tested positive for using recreational drugs would no longer have to suffer and put their careers in jeopardy following the change of the WADA’s list of prohibited drugs.
In August, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said that the athletes who would test positive for recreational drugs to be out-of-competition and moreover would also be banned for 1-3 months instead of two years when the policy is changed next year.
Now, WADA published a revised list of prohibited substances that have recategorised certain recreational drugs as substances of abuse and not performance enhancing substances which would give the players a ray of hope.
The anti-doping body has added cocaine, diamorphine (heroin), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA/’ecstasy’) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as substances of abuse in the 2021 list. So, now the players consuming these would be free from any kind of punishment.
The WPA, an association that represents around 85,000 athletes globally through more than 100 player associations, said that in nearly all previous cases, players consumed these substances “recreationally” or suffered from “underlying challenges with addiction.” And now because of these addictions their career would not suffer.
The official WPA statement on Friday read as:
“We are pleased that WADA has finally agreed to manage substances of abuse cases from a player health and wellbeing perspective,” WPA executive director Brendan Schwab said.
“It is now essential that no player serves a sanction one day longer than they have to under the new rules. Swift action by anti-doping authorities will ensure players will no longer be left to suffer with their careers in jeopardy.”
If an athlete can show these drugs were consumed out-of-competition and not related to enhanced sport performance, the suspension imposed would be three months, reduced to one month if they complete a drug rehabilitation program.
The WPA added that anti-doping authorities must now collaborate with player associations and WADA to ensure those serving existing sanctions for consuming these substances should be permitted to apply for a reduced sentence.
Source: Reuters
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