WADA Code

The World Anti-Doping Code (commonly “the WADA Code” or “the Code”) is the core document that harmonises anti-doping policies, rules, and regulations within sport organisations and public authorities worldwide. It was first adopted in 2003 and is revised periodically; major revisions took effect in 2009, 2015, and 2021.

The Code is published and maintained by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Compliance is a precondition for inclusion in the Olympic movement and for recognition by most international federations.

What the Code defines

• Anti-doping rule violations — the eleven categories of conduct that trigger sanctions, including presence of a prohibited substance, use or attempted use, refusal to submit to sample collection, tampering, and trafficking.
• Strict liability — athletes are responsible for any prohibited substance found in their sample, regardless of intent.
• Standard sanctions — typically a four-year ban for an intentional first violation involving a non-specified substance, reduced for unintentional use or for substances of abuse.
• Therapeutic Use Exemption procedure — the formal mechanism by which athletes can use medically necessary prohibited substances. See Therapeutic use exemption.

Relevance to peptide users

The Code, as expressed through the Prohibited List, is the operational basis for Retapedia’s “not natty” classification. A peptide listed in WADA’s S2 category cannot be used by an athlete in a tested federation without triggering a violation.