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Today, the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) Executive Committee (ExCo) held its third meeting of the year in Belgrade, Serbia, which resulted in important decisions being taken aimed at strengthening the global anti-doping system. The ExCo also made recommendations to the Agency’s Foundation Board (Board) that will be considered when it meets on 26 November 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Before the ExCo meeting started, His Excellency Prof. Đuro Macut, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, addressed the members and welcomed them to Belgrade. He stated that as a proud sporting nation it was Serbia’s honor to host the meeting, which he pointed out was an important gathering of those dedicated to the protection of clean sport around the world. He also reaffirmed his commitment to ongoing collaboration with WADA and the global anti-doping community.
After the meeting, WADA President, Witold Bańka, said: “I wish to extend WADA’s appreciation to the Government of Serbia for its support and warm welcome, and to the National Olympic Committee of Serbia for hosting us this week. I would also like to thank the Executive Committee members for what was a very productive meeting. In addition to approving the 2027 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods, the ExCo delivered a significant boost for athletes’ confidence in the testing process at the Olympic and Paralympic Games by increasing the level of independence that will be in place.”
2027 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods
The ExCo approved the 2027 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (List), which designates the substances and methods that are prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Code (Code). It also approved the composition of the substances that will feature on the 2027 Monitoring Program, which includes substances that are not on the List but that WADA wishes to monitor in order to detect potential patterns of misuse in sport. There will be a limited number of modifications to both documents for 2027, compared with those currently in force. The 2027 List will be published before 1 October 2026 and will enter into effect on 1 January 2027.
The status of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, will remain unchanged for 2027 pending further data becoming available on the possible effects on athletes who take them. GLP-1 receptor agonists are substances that are now widely used in society. WADA has discussed their status on several occasions and examined all the available scientific literature. In 2024, semaglutide and tirzepatide were added to the Monitoring Program to track patterns of use in sports in and out of competition.
WADA Senior Director, Science and Medicine, Prof. Olivier Rabin, said: “The Prohibited List Expert Advisory Group and the ExCo considered the status of GLP-1 receptor agonists carefully. However, at this stage, there is not enough evidence available for us to conclude with confidence that the substances meet the criteria needed for inclusion on the List. With one relevant, sport-related scientific study already up and running, WADA has initiated a second study that will look into the effects of these substances on athletes. We anticipate that these projects will provide the data needed to make a firm decision.”
The WADA website features more information about the Prohibited List and the Monitoring Program, including how and why substances or methods are added.
Independent testing at Olympic and Paralympic Games
The ExCo received an update related to the implementation of recommendations by the Working Group on National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) Operational Independence (WGOI), which presented its final report (including annexes) to the Extraordinary ExCo meeting in June 2026. The WGOI was set up to explore the issue of NADO structural and operational independence, including assessing the impact of good governance. It was formed upon the recommendation of the group tasked with implementing the observations of the Independent Prosecutor, Eric Cottier, who reviewed WADA’s handling of the China Anti-Doping Agency’s no-fault contamination cases involving 23 swimmers from China in 2021 (the Cottier Report). It also acknowledges the findings of the Anti-Doping Audit Review carried out by World Aquatics, which identifies a perception among athletes that conflicts of interest arise when national entities are in charge of supervising testing of their own countries’ athletes taking part in international competitions.
Further to the ExCo meeting in June, WADA drafted proposed changes to the 2027 International Standard for Testing and the 2027 International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories in implementation of Recommendation 19 of the WGOI Report. The changes were subject to a wide-reaching stakeholder consultation. This ultimately led to further constructive discussions by ExCo members in today’s meeting in Belgrade in order to address certain of the practical concerns that stakeholders – while being supportive of the principles underlying Recommendation 19 – had raised during the consultation.
The amendments, which were unanimously approved today by the ExCo and which will come into effect from 1 January 2027, delineate the role of host NADOs in the anti-doping program of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, in particular by making clear that host NADOs shall not be involved in test distribution planning, and selection of athletes for testing. The amendments also restrict the use of the host NADO and sample collection personnel of the nationality of the host country from testing the host country athletes, although exceptions can be made where this is not reasonably practicable. Whereas the amendments do not automatically apply to the events of International Federations (IFs), the IFs shall determine whether it is appropriate to apply them to their major international events based on potential or perceived conflicts of interest or bias. WADA may issue guidance to assist IFs in exercising this discretion. Notwithstanding these important additional safeguards, host NADOs can and will continue to play an important role in the relevant major events including in matters such as education and intelligence gathering and sharing.
A Q&A document on this issue is available here.
WADA President, Witold Bańka, said: "I welcome today’s unanimous decision by the Executive Committee, which further strengthens the credibility of the global anti-doping system. This is a clear endorsement of the principle of independence in testing at major events by representatives of governments, the Sport Movement, and athletes, as well as independent members. Ultimately, it was agreed that independence was needed to bolster athlete confidence, to protect NADOs from possible criticism, and to ensure the integrity of the system."
Chair of WADA’s Athlete Council and four-time Olympic swimmer, Ryan Pini, MBE, OL, OLY, said: “The WADA Athlete Council supports this new provision. Ensuring that certain sensitive parts of testing are implemented independently at the Olympic and Paralympic Games gives athletes confidence that they are being treated fairly and impartially. Athletes accept this principle every day. When we are selected for testing, we do not assume the system thinks we have done something wrong. We accept scrutiny because independent verification helps protect clean sport and confidence in fair competition. This is not a criticism of National Anti-Doping Organizations. Where a potential or perceived conflict can reasonably be removed, doing so strengthens trust in the system and benefits everyone.”
WADA Director General, Olivier Niggli, said: “We are grateful to the stakeholders who participated in WADA’s comprehensive consultation process in relation to WGOI Recommendation 19, which generated significant feedback. While there was broad agreement that independence in the testing process at all major events would enhance trust and that greater safeguards against bias – whether real or perceived – were needed, it did reveal issues for some major event organizers around cost and logistics. As such, this measure will be applied to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as by International Federations to their major events when they consider it appropriate to do so.”
Voluntary Withholding of Contributions to WADA’s Budget by Governments
The ExCo recommended to the WADA Board that it should approve a proposal establishing a series of consequences that could be applied to a government that voluntarily declines to fulfil its obligations to contribute to WADA's budget. The proposal, which includes associated amendments to the World Anti-Doping Code, WADA Statutes and WADA Governance Regulations, sets out a clear process and graded set of consequences for governments that choose not to make their annual contributions to WADA, while respecting the principles of due process and proportionality.
This matter has been a topic of debate among ExCo members for several years. There has always been broad agreement that the protection of WADA's budget is an absolute necessity for the good of the global anti-doping system and the protection of clean sport. Following today's recommendation, at its next meeting on 26 November in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Board will be asked to approve a robust, fair and predictable suite of possible consequences for governments that opt not to fulfil their financial commitment to the Agency.
WADA's Investigative Support Measures Policy
The ExCo approved that WADA carry out a stakeholder consultation process for a proposed Investigative Support Measures Policy to assist the activities and enhance the capabilities of the Agency’s independent Intelligence and Investigations (I&I) Department. The intent is to develop the policy as an annex to the International Standard for Intelligence and Investigations.
As WADA’s responsibilities have expanded, particularly in relation to investigations, the tools available to WADA I&I have not kept pace. Reliance primarily on voluntary statements and interviews makes it difficult to obtain independently verifiable evidence in serious cases, creating a growing gap between stakeholder expectations and WADA’s practical ability to deliver results.
The proposed policy provides a carefully safeguarded framework for targeted access to relevant information where credible concerns exist, and where conventional investigative tools are insufficient. WADA Management will now finalize development of the draft policy in preparation for a two-month stakeholder consultation and subsequent presentation to the ExCo in due course for approval.
Annual Audit of the Intelligence and Investigations Department
The ExCo approved the report of the 2026 annual audit of WADA’s I&I function, which was carried out by independent supervisor, Emmanuel Leclaire, in June 2026. The purpose of the audit is to ensure that WADA I&I’s work continuously and rigorously satisfies investigative best practices, legal requirements, and complies with the Code and Standards. In keeping with policy, the audit’s conclusions will soon be made public on WADA’s website.
Unintentional Doping Research
Following last year's call for contributions, where anti-doping stakeholders were asked to provide their experiences and perspectives regarding the issue of unintentional doping, WADA's taskforce on the subject delivered a comprehensive report analyzing those contributions and suggesting next steps. This report will soon be made public on WADA’s website.
For various reasons, unintentional doping has emerged as a growing concern within sport. In 2025, to better understand this issue, WADA’s Taskforce on Unintentional Doping launched a global Call for Contributions, which attracted 2,179 respondents, including athletes, athlete support personnel, anti-doping practitioners, researchers, and policymakers, across all regions of the world. The findings indicated broad support for a proposed conceptualization of unintentional doping, with respondents, more than half of whom were athletes, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between intentional cheating and inadvertent anti-doping rule violations.
Overall, the findings demonstrate that unintentional doping is perceived as a significant and multifaceted challenge. Next steps require improved education, robust scientific approaches, fair adjudication processes, and collaborative engagement across anti-doping, scientific, legal, medical, and sporting communities to protect both athlete welfare and the integrity of sport.
2026 Scientific Research Grants (Cycle 2)
The ExCo approved funding recommendations for research proposals received as part of Cycle 2 of WADA’s 2026 Scientific Research Grant Program. A total of 17 projects were selected for funding, from a total of 55 expressions of interest that led to the receipt of 34 full applications. In all, the grants amount to USD 1,891,995. Details of these projects will be published on WADA’s website shortly. The remaining funds in the 2026 research budget will be used to support Cycle 3, regarding which decisions will be taken in November 2026. This will be allocated to already identified targeted projects in areas such as peptide identification and analysis, further improvement in erythropoietin (EPO) detection, and reference materials synthesis. Grants awarded during Cycle 1 of the 2026 process were announced in March 2026.
WADA Working Group on Contaminations
The WADA Working Group on Contaminations (WGC) provided an interim update, reflecting its work establishing the scale of the problem, how to reduce incidence, and managing and dealing with it in the short and longer terms. A series of proposed actions is being developed for which there will be a stakeholder consultation later this year. A final version of the consolidated proposals, along with estimated resource implications, will be presented for consideration at the ExCo’s March 2027 meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. The WGC was set up in 2025 at the request of the ExCo following the Cottier Report, which suggested that a holistic analysis of the issue of contamination be undertaken by WADA.
Laboratories
The ExCo approved a recommendation of the WADA Laboratory Expert Advisory Group (Lab EAG) to remove the candidate laboratory status of the Doping Control Laboratory of Athens, Greece, due to a lack of progress made by the laboratory since it achieved candidate status more than three years ago. If the laboratory wishes to pursue WADA accreditation in the future, it will be required to provide sufficient evidence of progress in its technical and analytical capabilities before it will be once again considered for candidate status, as per Articles 4.1 and 4.2 of the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL).
The ExCo also approved a request from the National Doping Testing Laboratory, located in Algiers, Algeria, to withdraw its WADA candidate Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) laboratory status until such time that the laboratory considers itself ready to meet the operational independence and impartiality requirements set out in Articles 4.4.2.4 and 4.7.2.2 of the ISL, after which time the laboratory can reapply for candidate status.
The ExCo was also informed of the recent approval by the ExCo Chair, in accordance with Article 4.7.3 of the ISL, of a request by the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to extend its WADA candidate ABP laboratory status due to exceptional circumstances, for a period of six months until 11 March 2027.
Technical Documents
The ExCo approved revised versions of seven Technical Documents, all related to the ISL. Specifically, the documents cover the analytical areas of gas chromatography/combustion/ isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS), erythropoietin (EPO), laboratory chain of custody, human growth hormone isoforms, human chorionic gonadotrophin and luteinizing hormone, and the hematological and endocrine modules of the ABP. The changes are directly linked to the revised 2027 ISL and reflect the constant endeavor towards further improvement and harmonization of laboratory-related anti-doping procedures and activities. The revised versions of the Technical Documents will be published and circulated to all Anti-Doping Organizations shortly and will come into effect on 1 January 2027.
Risk and Audit Committee, and Independent Review Experts
The ExCo approved the recommendation of the Agency’s independent Nominations Committee (NomsComm) to reappoint Nathalie Bourque as an independent expert member of the WADA Risk and Audit Committee for a further three-year term commencing 22 September 2026.
The ExCo also approved the terms of reference of the Independent Review Experts (IREs), a new role established by the 2027 Code designed to strengthen the independent oversight across the global anti-doping system of decisions taken not to pursue normal results management for adverse analytical findings. The terms of reference are set to come into effect on 1 January 2027 and the NomsComm was requested to nominate at the next meeting of the ExCo at least two individuals to serve as IREs.
2027 Budget
The ExCo received the draft budget for 2027 of USD 57.27 million and recommended it to the Board for approval when they meet in November 2026.
Future Meetings
The next meetings of the ExCo and Board will take place on 25 and 26 November 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The ExCo will convene its first meeting of 2027 on 16 March in Lausanne, Switzerland.
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