In Fall 2025, swimmer Penny Oleksiak got a two-year suspension for failing to report her whereabouts three times. Her case is a reminder that anti-doping rules in sports go beyond the use of banned drugs.
According to the World Anti-Doping Code, athletes must be available for testing at all times. Athletes set to compete in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina must follow this rule and many more, or risk serious consequences.
Teams and athletes that don’t respect anti-doping rules can be temporarily suspended from events and competitions in their sport. They may also lose their medals, points and prizes, or be ordered to pay financial penalties.
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A code signed by close to 700 sport organizations The World Anti-Doping Code only applies to sports whose governing body has agreed to have it apply to their sport. This includes most major, Olympic and Paralympic sports, as well as some lesser-known ones, like mini-golf, bridge, chess and e-sports. |
Mandatory testing
Athletes cannot refuse to be tested and must be available at all times for random drug tests. They can be asked for blood or urine samples. Athletes aren’t allowed to tamper or try to tamper with the results of a drug test, for example, by replacing or altering a sample.
Some groups of athletes must also share their whereabouts every three months. As reported by La Presse, these athletes must share:
- their usual addresses (home, hotel or other),
- their training and competition locations and schedule,
- their school location and schedule,
- their work schedule,
- their medical appointments,
- a 60-minute time slot each day during which they are available for testing.
Athletes must be at the place they declared and available for testing. After three failures to respect these rules, athletes are considered to be in violation of anti-doping rules and may be sanctioned.
The list of banned drugs and methods
Mandatory testing is used to find out whether athletes are using banned drugs. The list of banned drugs and methods is over ten pages long. Athletes are not allowed to use or attempt to use any of the drugs or methods on the list. Even possession of a banned drug is forbidden. But that’s not all. An athlete is automatically at fault if a banned drug is found in their body, even if they didn’t knowingly take it.
Some drugs, like stimulants, narcotics (like heroin) and cannabis are only banned during competitions. Others are banned even outside of competitions, like anabolic steroids, which mimic testosterone and increase muscle strength and growth.
It’s not just drugs that are banned; some doping methods are also banned. For example, athletes aren’t allowed to receive more than 100 ml of injections over a 12-hour period, unless it’s part of a medical treatment.
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First of its kind In May 2026, the Enhances Games will be held in Las Vegas. These will be the first games where athletes must dope themselves to participate. The World Anti-Doping Agency, which sets the global anti-doping rules, has not yet commented on the event. |