Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) - The Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025

You can contact us to submit a TUE starting 31 January 2025 up to 14 February 2025.

FOR SECURITY REASONS, IT IS NOT ADVISED TO SEND APPLICATIONS BY EMAIL

1 – Fill in the TUE form, sign it and have it signed by your physician.

2 – Gather all the necessary supporting medical documentation (Resources List | World Anti-Doping Agency)

3A – Book an appointment and provide the form and the supporting documentation through the online portal that will be opened during the appointment.

OR

3B – Submit the form and the supporting documentation directly in ADAMS, if you are familiar with the process. You can call us at 0041 21 612 12 72 should you require support.

For any other situations, please contact us by phone or email ([email protected]) so that we can assess the situation and help you submit your application.

Your TUE application must be submitted in a legible form using capital letters or typing.

The medical file must include:

• A comprehensive medical history, including documentation from the original diagnosing physician(s) (where possible),
• The results of all examinations, laboratory investigations and imaging studies relevant to the application.
• Any costs incurred by the athlete in making the TUE application and in supplementing it as required by the ITA’s ITUEC are the responsibility of the athlete.
• Any TUE application that is not complete or legible will not be dealt with and will be returned for completion and re-submission.
• To assist you and your doctor in providing the correct medical documentation, we suggest consulting the  WADA’s Checklists for TUE applications  for guidance and support during the TUE application process, and  Medical Information to Support the Decisions of TUECs  for guidance on specific common medical conditions, treatments, substances, etc.
• Keep a complete copy of the TUE application form and all medical information submitted in support of your application, and proof that it has been sent.

Athletes may have illnesses or conditions that require them to take medications or undergo procedures. If the medication or method an athlete is required to use to treat an illness or condition is prohibited as per the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Prohibited List, a TUE may give that athlete the authorisation to use that substance or method while competing without invoking an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) and applicable sanction. Applications for TUEs are evaluated by a panel of physicians, the International TUE Committee (ITUEC).

National Anti-Doping Organisation’s (NADO) TUEs are only valid for national-level Competition and Out-of-Competition Testing.

Athletes participating in the Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025 are subject to anti-doping rules and would need a TUE to take a prohibited substance or use a prohibited method. You can also verify with us if you can apply retroactively. Please see chapter below on “HOW TO APPLY TO THE ITA’S ITUEC FOR A TUE?”

Before 31 January 2025

You should follow the usual process defined by your International Federation (IF) and National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO), and submit new requests to your IF or NADO. Pre-existing TUEs will follow the recognition process provided they are entered in ADAMS.

Between 31 January and 14 February 2025

Athletes participating in the Games should contact the ITA to enquire about the organization responsible for the processing of their TUE. The ITA TUEC will process only TUEs that have a validity limited to the period of the Games (31 January to 14 February 2025).

For example, TUEs for chronic conditions (like ADHD or diabetes) should be processed by your NADO (National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) | World Anti-Doping Agency (wada-ama.org)) in advance of the Games and will be recognized automatically for the duration of the Games.

If the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) chooses to collect a sample from an athlete who is not an international-level athlete or a national-level athlete, and that athlete is using a prohibited substance or prohibited method for therapeutic reasons, the OCA must permit that athlete to apply for a retroactive TUE. You can verify your status by contacting your IF and NADO.

To submit a TUE, please first, check if the required medication or method you intend to take or use is prohibited as per the WADA Prohibited List.

For this, you may also use a ‘check your medication’ online like  Global Drug Reference Online  or consult your NADO.

You have a responsibility to inform your physician(s) that you are an athlete bound to anti-doping rules. You and your physician(s) should check the  Prohibited List  for whatever substance/method you are prescribed. If the substance/method is prohibited, discuss non-prohibited alternatives, if there are none, apply for a TUE. Remember athletes have the ultimate responsibility.

You must apply for a TUE, as soon as the need to use the substance or method arises, unless there are emergency or exceptional circumstances.

For substances prohibited in-competition only, you should apply for a TUE at least 30 days before your next competition, unless one of the exceptions on retroactive TUEs (see below) apply.

If you already have a TUE granted by your NADO or IF, your TUE will be automatically recognized for the Period of the Games.

See chapter “how to submit a TUE” for more details.

All of the four following criteria must be met (for more details, please refer to the WADA International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (ISTUE) Article 4.2):

• The athlete has a clear diagnosed medical condition, which requires treatment using a prohibited substance or method;
• The therapeutic use of the substance will not, on the balance of probabilities, produce significant enhancement of performance beyond the athlete’s normal state of health;
• The prohibited substance or method is an indicated treatment for the medical condition, and there is no reasonable permitted therapeutic alternative;
• The necessity to use that substance or method is not the consequence of the prior use (without a TUE), of a substance or method which was prohibited at the time of use.

In rare and exceptional circumstances and notwithstanding any other provision in the ISTUE, you may apply for and be granted retroactive approval for a therapeutic use of a prohibited substance or method, if considering the purpose of the Code, it would be manifestly unfair not to grant a retroactive TUE. This unique retroactive TUE will only be granted with the prior approval of WADA (and WADA may in its absolute discretion agree with or reject the ITA’s ITUEC decision).

ITA’s ITUEC will automatically recognize your TUE for purposes of the Event without the need to review the relevant clinical information. If the TUE is correctly entered in ADAMS, there is no need to contact us. Nevertheless, should you require a confirmation, you can submit your request to the ITA in writing quoting your ADAMS TUE reference number.

You can download your TUE certificate directly from ADAMS.

The ITA’s ITUEC must render a decision as soon as possible, and usually within 21 days from the date of receipt of the complete TUE application, unless in exceptional circumstances. Nevertheless, during the Asian Winter Games, treatment times are in average much shorter and all efforts will be made to provide a decision before a competition takes place.

We recommend that you contact the organisation that granted the original TUE.

Each TUE has a specific duration, at the end of which it expires automatically. Should you need to continue to use the prohibited substance or method, it is your responsibility to submit a new application for a TUE with updated medical information ahead of the expiry date, so that there is sufficient time for a decision to be made prior to the expiry of the current TUE. 

Important note:

The presence (following sample collection), use, possession or administration of the prohibited substance or method must be consistent with the terms of your TUE. Therefore, if you require a materially different dosage, frequency, route or duration of administration, you should contact the ITA’s ITUEC, as you may be required to apply for a new TUE. Some substances and dosages, e.g. insulin, are often modified during treatment and these possible fluctuations should be mentioned by the treating physician in the TUE application and would usually be accepted by the ITA’s ITUEC.

TUEs granted by the TUE committee of the Asian Winter Games 2025 will be only valid for the period of the Games. Should you have a chronic condition, or a treatment that is needed outside this period, you should contact your NADO or IF in order to prolong or renew your TUE.

A decision to deny a TUE application will include a written explanation of the reason(s) for the denial. If it is not clear to you, please contact the ITA to understand exactly why the TUE was denied. Sometimes, there may be a critical piece of information, diagnostic test, laboratory results missing, etc. In which case, you should re-apply to us.

A decision by the ITA’s ITUEC not to grant a TUE may be appealed by the athlete exclusively to the independent TUE Appeal Committee established by OCA for that purpose. If the athlete does not appeal (or the appeal is unsuccessful), the athlete may not use the prohibited substance or prohibited method in question in connection with the event.

However, any TUE granted by the athlete’s National Anti-Doping Organisation or International Federation for that substance or method remains valid outside of that event.

It should be noted that WADA may review TUE decisions at any time but is not obliged to proceed with a request for a review.

All the information contained in a TUE application, including the supporting medical information and any other information related to the evaluation of your TUE request is kept strictly confidential and treated in accordance with the Athlete’s Declaration contained in the ADAMS TUE and in the TUE Application Form which can be found below. All members of the ITA’s ITUEC and any other authorised recipients of your TUE request and related information (as described in the Athlete’s Declaration) are subject to a professional or contractual confidentiality obligation.

Please review the terms of the Athlete’s Declaration carefully. In particular, note that should you wish to revoke the right of the ITA’s ITUEC to obtain the information related to your TUE in accordance with the Athlete’s Declaration, your TUE application will be deemed withdrawn without approval [or recognition] being granted.

Your TUE request-related information will be retained by the ITA’s ITUEC and any other authorised recipients for no longer than necessary for the purposes stated in the Athlete’s Declaration, in accordance with the International Standard for the Protection of Privacy and Personal Information.