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Compete Clean Corner

USADA and WMA Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE).

By Cheryl R. Bellaire MD, USATF MTF Anti-Doping and Substance Abuse Subcommittee Chair

       Once you intend to sign up for World Masters Association (WMA) Championships, Masters Outdoor Nationals in Lexington, USATF 12K Championship in New Jersey or any other event, now is the time to check your medicines. Prescription medicines from your doctor, over the counter medicines or supplements (even “natural” or “organic”) all need to be checked. Many think that anything prescribed by a doctor must be OK to take during competition but in actuality it may require a TUE from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) or from the WMA for International competition. A USADA TUE is not accepted for the WMA Championships so you may need both.

     How do you go about checking? For USADA, you first look up the substance on the Global DRO Drug Search: globaldro.com/US/search  

     Here you will see results for In-Competition and Out-of-Competition. Your results will be either Not Prohibited, Prohibited or Conditional. We cannot tell an individual how long a substance will remain in your system so if you get a result other than Not Prohibited in both in and out of competition, we would recommend filling out a TUE Pre-Check form: usada.org/athletes/testing/tue/determine/#step3

     If you do not find the substance try to look it up by the active ingredients. If you still cannot find it check the supplement list: usada.org/athletes/substances/supplement-connect/

     The TUE Pre-Check form will determine if you have to obtain a USADA TUE. You will need your Global DRO Reference number from your search. This is found near the bottom of your Global DRO search results under “Search Detail”. You should receive a response to your TUE Pre-Check form in three business days. If it is determined that you need a TUE, the form will have to be filled out by your physician and submitted for approval. It is recommended that you apply for a TUE well in advance as USADA receives many TUEs from many different athletes competing in all sports. If you are granted a TUE it will have an expiration date. Once you reach your expiration date you have to apply for a TUE Renewal.

     Be sure to keep a record of your Global DRO Reference number from your search, your results of the TUE Pre-Check form and your TUE (if necessary) and bring it with you to competitions. This is proof that you followed all the rules and completed the steps if you test positive for a substance during anti-doping testing.

     For the WMA meets find the link download to check your medicines on the new list published in January 2022: wada-ama.org/en/resources/world-anti-doping-program/prohibited-list

     If your medicine is on the list, or if you are not sure fill out the WMA TUE form. This form and other useful information can be found on this page: world-masters-athletics.com/documents/anti-doping-2/

     All these links can be found on the Masters web page: usatfmasters.org/anti-doping-information/

     The link can be found on the home page under drop down menu ‘For Athletes’.

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