IRF Position on Doping in Sport
The IRF is unequivocally opposed, on ethical and medical grounds, to the practice of doping in sport and fully supports the position of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the use of banned substances and methods.
The use, possession and/or trafficking of banned substances, methods, or the encouragement or counseling to use banned substances, or methods, and/or taking measures to mask the use of banned substances, or methods by any participant in competitions over which the IRF has jurisdiction is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
IRF Anti Doping History
In support of the IRF Position on Doping in Sport, the IRF Anti Doping programme was initiated in 2009 by the IRF Sport and Competition Committee. Doping tests were proposed for major international rafting competition events from 2011 forward, and in 2014 the IRF Board of Directors approved race rules which required World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) Code compliant doping tests mandatory for all Category A (World Championship) level events. The first Code compliant tests were conducted in 2014 at the IRF European Rafting Championship in Slovakia and again later that year at the World Rafting Championship in Brazil. The IRF implements a strict adherence to the Code as a way to ensure a clean, healthy and fair sporting atmosphere for all athletes.
The WADA Code
The WADA Code is the core document that harmonises anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sport organisations and among public authorities around the world.
It works in conjunction with six international standards which describe how the various technical aspects of anti-doping work have to be performed.
After attaining Observer Status with the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) in October 2019, the IRF became eligible to apply for WADA Code signature status, further solidifying the IRF commitment to the anti-doping and clean sports movement. As a Code signatore, the IRF will conduct both in-competition and out-of-competition testing, thereby confirming proper testing and results management methods are administered throughout our sport. With the support and guidance of GAISF, our WADA application is currently in process and we expect to become a Code signature in early 2021.
Below links are to the updated WADA Code and Standards that will take effect in 2021:
- WADA Code 2021
- International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories
- International Standard for Education
- International Standard for the Protection of Privacy and Personal Information
- International Standard for Results Management
- International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs)
- International Standard for Testing & Investigations
As an athlete, it is YOUR responsibility to ensure that any medication you take or use is not on the prohibited list of substances
If you take any kind of medication, you will need to check the list of substances within the medication to see if any substance is on the prohibited list. Your doctor may be able to help you if they have prescribed the drug for you.
If you have any medication that is on the prohibited list you must have a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) prior to any doping control. If you can not show the doping control officer a TUE during the doping control you might receive a positive doping test.
The Prohibited List of Substances and Methods
The IRF will always adhere to the prohibited list published by WADA. The list of prohibited substances and methods is revised once a year. Updates are published each January.
Official Prohibited List can be accessed in PDF version here.
Digital Prohibited List (easy search) can be accessed here. If there is any discrepancy, the PDF version is noted as the official version.
The Prohibited List of Substances and Methods is divided into three categories:
- Substances and methods prohibited at all times (in-and out of competition)
- Substances and methods prohibited in competition
- Substances prohibited in certain sports
Substances and methods prohibited at all times (in-and out of competition)
Prohibited Substances
S0 – Non approved substances
S1 – Anabolic agents
S2 – Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics
S3 – Beta-2 agonists
S4 – Hormone and metabolic modulators
S5 – Diuretics and masking agents
Prohibited Methods
M1 – Manipulation of blood and blood components
M2 – Chemical and physical manipulation
M3 – Gene and cell doping
Substances and methods prohibited in competition
In addition to the categories S0 to S5 and M1 to M3 defined above, the following categories are prohibited in competition:
S6 – Stimulants
S7 – Narcotics
S8 – Cannabinoids
S9 – Glucocorticoids
Substances prohibited in certain sports
P1 – Beta-blockers
The Global DRO website provides a simple and free to use checking service for medicines purchased in Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Simply select the country of purchase, enter basic details of the medication and the search will provide details of whether the medication is banned or not. Each search is logged individually and you can take the reference number as evidence of the search for assistance should a false positive result be found.
The site is updated regularly following updates to the published prohibited items list.
Taking supplements is at each athlete’s own risk. This is especially true if it results in any positive doping test(s). Some dietary supplements and natural products can contain substances that are on the prohibited list.
Athletes are always personally responsible for any prohibited substances taken through dietary supplements and will be held responsible for a positive doping test. Even if this was never intended as deliberate doping, but as a result of contaminated supplements.
Some elite athletes may have a need for a supplement in relation to their diet. The reasons may be disease, physiological defects or extreme training volumes. We recommend you consult a dietician for good advice in relation to diet, and have your needs for supplements assessed.
There are numerous examples of dietary supplements purchased in countries all over the world that have been contaminated with prohibited substances. This includes substances that have not been included in the list of ingredients.
Additionally, supplements can be added to medicines in such large doses that they pose an actual health risk. Examples are:
- stimulants with narcotic and addictive effects,
- combinations of different stimulants that are dangerous to the heart,
- sedatives which are not advisable in combination with driving, and
- anabolic androgenic steroids, often in the form of prohormones.
Supplements may also be the entrance to the use of anabolic steroids. A study by Dodge and Jaccard (2006) has shown that the probability of using steroids is 26 times greater if you use supplements than if you train without supplements. Additionally, supplements often prove to be ineffective – especially if they are not used carefully.
The Informed Sport website provides a simple and free to use checking service for supplements and vitamins.
Simply enter the brand or bar code in the site search to confirm whether or not it contains any prohibited items.
The site is updated regularly following updates to the published prohibited items list.
The IRF follows the WADA rules exemption for therapeutic use of a drug in accordance with the International Standard for TUE.
Athletes who have been diagnosed and prescribed treatment with medication that contains substances on the Prohibited List must apply for a TUE before doping control.
Athletes need to contact their own National Rafting Federation and / or the National Anti Doping Organisation within their own country to obtain the correct TUE form.
Apply for TUE before competing
If you do not have a TUE for a substance that is listed on the prohibited substance list prior to testing, you will NOT be able to claim that you are permitted to take the specific drug. This will likely result in a positive doping test. It is not possible to get a TUE retrospectively. Therefore, you need a TUE before a potential doping control.
NOTE: the process handling time for a TUE can be 30 up to days.
TUE Checklists
TUE Checklists can be obtained on the WADA webiste. The checklists are used to guide the athlete and their physician on the overall requirements for a TUE application. Checklists must be accompanied by evidence that will allow the TUE application to be assessed whether the relevant International Standard for TUE Criteria are met.
The completed TUE checklist form alone is not sufficient; supporting documents MUST be provided. A completed application DOES NOT guarantee the granting of a TUE. Conversely, in some situations a legitimate application may not include every element on the checklist.
A doping control process is the same for all athletes regardless of the sport. If you are requested to take a doping control test, you have to follow the guidelines set out by WADA and the National Anti Doping Organisation who are administering the test(s).
The video below is the official WADA Doping Control Process for Athletes video:
The video is available on the WADA Website in other languages including Français, العربية, Hrvatski, Deutsch, Portuguese, Русский, Español.
- When do I need to complete a TUE application form?
You need to get a TUE if you take or use any medications that are listed on the prohibited list of substances and methods. You must do this before competition starts. Allow up to 30 days for processing of the application. - How will I know if my medication suddenly gets banned?
As an athlete it is your own responsibility to be updated in the type of medication you are taking - Do I need to fill out Whereabouts?
Presently IRF Athletes do not need to fill out Whereabouts. If/when this is a requirement, all athletes will be informed with at least four weeks notice - Is cannabis a banned substance?
Yes. Cannabis is a banned substance during competition - Can I drink coffee during a competition?
Yes. Caffeine was a banned substance between 1984-2004 but is now not included on the list
Recent Anti Doping news
WADA Anti-Doping course mandatory for WRC 2022 athletes
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) officially accepted the IRF as a signatory of the WADA Code in October last year. This historic step is in alignment with the IRF’s strategy of making rafting a more officially recognised sport in the international sporting world. The IRF is unequivocally opposed, on ethical and medical grounds, to the
IRF accepted as official WADA signatory
It is with great pleasure that we announce that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has officially accepted the IRF as a signatory of the WADA Code. In his congratulatory letter to IRF President Joe Willis Jones, WADA Director General Olivier Niggli noted: “WADA congratulates you on this important step in the fight against doping in
No adverse anti doping results WRC 2019
The tests, done at the end of the Downriver by the Australian Anti-doping Agency, all went smoothly and quickly. The results have come in and no adverse findings were made! Thanks to all the athletes keeping our sport clean.
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