The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced Tuesday that its Executive Committee approved the Prohibited List of Substances and Methods for 2005. The new List will be published prior to October 1, 2004, and will go into effect January 1, 2005.
Some changes will be made from the current List in 2005.
Those changes include:
The topical application of glucocorticosteroids will no longer require an abbreviated therapeutic use exemption.
Beta-2 agonists, often used in the treatment of asthma, will now be prohibited both in and out of competition.
Due to the findings of a WADA-sponsored research project, Finasteride, a product used for prostate problems in men and also for hair loss (Propecia), will be added to the Prohibited List as a masking agent.
Finally, intravenous infusion for non-medical purposes will now be explicitly banned.
Members of the 2002 Austrian X-C Olympic Team famously denied blood doping allegations by saying the the blood bags found in their Heber accommodations were for boosting their immune systems ( http://www.fasterskier.com/racing/2002OWG/020302IOCNotBuying.html ). This new addition to the WADA list makes the practice illegal. Also outlawed is the practice of taking in replacement fluid via IV after (or before) a hard effort or race.
