BRITISH ATHLETICS LEAGUE

ANTI-DOPING

THERAPEUTIC USE EXEMPTIONS

You will recall that it is the responsibility of every athlete to ensure that he has not taken anything that is in breach of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code.   The WADA code accepts that there are some conditions for which there is no reasonable alternative medication than a substance that is on the banned list.  However, in order for an athlete to be able to use such a substance he MUST have a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption certificate (a TUE).

A common example of a substance that needs a TUE are asthma inhalers.

It would appear that there may be a significant number of athletes using substances that need a TUE (especially asthma inhalers) who have not got a TUE. 

An athlete who uses a banned substance where he needs and could have obtained a TUE but has not done so will be liable to the full suspension for the use of the substance. There is no defence that “I forgot to get a TUE” or “I did not know I needed one”.

Details of how to get a TUE and the forms needed are available on the UKA website.

It only costs a stamp – but without it, it could cost your athlete their career.

Please therefore check that all your athletes who need a TUE have one before the start of the season.