The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published its Prohibited List for 2026, and the ITIA is actively reminding players, their support teams, and coaches to be aware of changes to the list of banned substances – which comes into effect from 1 January 2026.
The List is available to read in full by clicking here, and includes a number of modifications from the 2025 version. WADA has identified the following relevant changes to the List:
- Further examples or clarifications have been added to the following substance classes to help athletes and their entourage better identify prohibited substances:
- S1. Anabolic agents,
- S2. Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances, and mimetics,
- S4. Hormone and metabolic modulators, and
- S6. Stimulants.
- The dosing intervals of salmeterol have been changed to avoid potential ergogenic effects, though the maximum daily delivered dose remains the same.
- More details have been given about the prohibition of withdrawal of blood and blood components.
- The non-diagnostic use of carbon monoxide (CO) has been added to the Prohibited Methods as a new section, M1.4. The use of carbon monoxide for diagnostic purposes, such as total haemoglobin mass measurements or the determination of pulmonary diffusion capacity, is not prohibited.
- Cell components (e.g., nuclei and organelles such as mitochondria and ribosomes) have been added to the existing prohibition of using normal or genetically modified cells.
- It has been clarified in the Glucocorticoids Washout Table that use of sustained-release formulations may result in detectable glucocorticoid levels past the washout period due to prolonged systemic absorption.
WADA has provided a detailed Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes document, which is available at this link.
The ITIA will communicate these changes to players, coaches, agents and player support personnel, alongside hosting a webinar on the Prohibited List and other important TADP matters, including TUEs. An invitation has been shared with registered players via the Tennis Anti-Doping Portal.
Karen Moorhouse, ITIA Chief Executive Officer, said: “We urge players and their representatives to be aware of relevant changes to the Prohibited List.
“As always, we invite players, coaches, support teams and medical personnel to contact us if they require any advice or would like to discuss the changes in detail, and we will ensure that changes are proactively communicated to relevant members of the tennis family.
“There are many convenient methods of contacting us for players, including The Line, our WhatsApp service which launched earlier this year, and we encourage members of the tennis family to get in touch and seek the support they need.”
Players or their entourage can contact the ITIA directly through our App, via direct message on social media, or by using The Line.
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Published 28 October 2025 15:00
