Badminton delegates management of Therapeutic Use Exemptions to the ITA

Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) constitute one of the core processes of an anti-doping program. Athletes who suffer from an acute or chronic disease or need a specific kind of therapy for their injuries might need to be treated with a substance that is on the Prohibited List. In that case, they must apply for a TUE in order to provide for a justification if they test positive for said substance in a doping control. Once an athlete submits a TUE request containing medical information provided by their physician, an expert body must thoroughly check for the need of such an exemption before it approves or denies it in order to prevent abuse.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has now decided to delegate its entire TUE process to the ITA in a new partnership running for an initial term until the end of 2021. ITA’s specialised TUE department, with the help of its TUE Expert Group, will ensure that Badminton’s TUE applications, reviewal processes and approvals happen independently and in line with the World Anti-Doping Code and the International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions.

Benjamin Cohen, ITA Director General, welcomes this new collaboration: “We are very pleased that the Badminton World Federation has chosen to manage their TUEs by the ITA as an independent expert body. The delegation means that BWF can rest assured their TUE process is handled professionally, that Badminton athletes will receive a fair and unbiased review of their TUE submissions, and that the federation can focus even more on the core aspects of its work. As for any other International Federation that we work with, we will aim to keep sport real for Badminton and hope that our efforts will evolve into a wider partnership in the future.”

BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer said: “This is a positive step forward for us in our endeavour to keep badminton clean. It is great to have the leadership and expertise of the ITA to manage all processes related to Therapeutic Use Exemptions. This new partnership will bolster the already robust set of testing measures we have in place to protect our sport.”