World Anti-Doping Code 2021
The 2021 revision, in force from 1 January 2021; it introduced the concept of the "Protected Person" and the category of "Substances of Abuse" into the Code, and gave formal recognition to the case resolution agreement.
| In force from | 1 January 2021 |
| Publication | World Anti-Doping Agency — 2021 edition |
| Structure | Code, 2021 edition |
| Status | Superseded — replaced by the 2027 edition |
What is the World Anti-Doping Code?
The World Anti-Doping Code is the foundational document of the global anti-doping system: it defines anti-doping rule violations, sets the burden and standard of proof, sets out sanctions together with the conditions for their reduction and aggravation, and organises the procedure for results management, hearings and appeals. All International Federations, National Olympic Committees and National Anti-Doping Organisations that have accepted it are required to bring their own rules into conformity with it; the International Standards — from the Prohibited List to testing, therapeutic use exemptions, results management, education and privacy — set the technical detail of its implementation.
About the 2021 editionChanges from the 2015 edition with 2019 amendments
Key changes from the previous edition
- Protected PersonFor the first time a category of Protected Person was defined — principally athletes below a specified age and persons lacking legal capacity — who are treated with greater flexibility in the determination of sanctions. This concept did not exist in any previous edition.
- Substances of AbuseA new category of Substances of Abuse was recognised; substances whose use occurs out of competition and without any performance-enhancing purpose and where, if this is established, the sanction is appreciably reduced and may be replaced by a treatment programme.
- Case resolution agreementThe mechanism of the Case Resolution Agreement was introduced into the text, allowing the anti-doping organisation and the athlete to agree on the sanction by consent and without completing the full hearing process.
- Return of aggravating circumstancesThe concept of aggravating circumstances, which had been abandoned in the 2015 edition, returned in this edition.
- Education brought to the foreReferences to education more than doubled, and the International Standard for Education took its place for the first time as a standard in its own right alongside the others.
Who this document matters to
Every athlete doping case, in any sport, ultimately comes back to this text; the anti-doping rules of the world federations are nothing other than the implementation of this Code in that sport. Three points are decisive in a defence: liability in doping is strict, and proof of intent or fault is not required; the burden and standard of proof are defined in the Code itself and are not the same as the criminal standards; and each case is governed by the edition in force at the time the violation occurred, unless a later edition is more favourable to the accused.