WADA shares success of 2023 Therapeutic Use Exemption Symposium

Today, the Chief Medical Officer of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Dr. Alan Vernec, shared the successes and outcomes stemming from the 2023 Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) Symposium which took place in Incheon, South Korea from 31 May to 2 June.

Graciously co-hosted by the Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA), the Symposium attracted more than 250 participants. Medical and anti-doping experts, as well as TUE managers and administrators from around the world, convened to discuss the challenges of harmonization of TUEs in a diverse world and to improve understanding of the complex processes that are in place to ensure fairness for all athletes. The Symposium included medico-legal case studies, interactive sessions and lectures from some of the top anti-doping experts in the world.

Dr. Vernec said: “The 2023 TUE Symposium was an excellent example of what we can accomplish when we work collaboratively with our partners and colleagues from around the world. The Symposium brought together the top minds to better understand this nuanced and complex topic in an enthusiastic and productive setting, and the feedback we received has been fantastic. Beyond the core teaching and harmonization of TUE processes, I was impressed with the energy and passion for anti-doping among those in attendance, an important element when one considers that most physicians within anti-doping are volunteers. The TUE process is unable to operate without their selfless dedication, and we are grateful to them for it.”

The Symposium program included an address by WADA President Witold Bańka who lauded the efforts of physicians, administrators and other experts in upholding the TUE system for the benefit of athletes worldwide.  The program was bookended by addresses from two of the most influential figures in the TUE and anti-doping medicine space. The opening lecture, titled ‘Prescribing Banned Drugs to Athletes: Balancing Medical Care with Fair Play’ was delivered by Professor David Gerrard (New Zealand), Emeritus Professor of Sport & Exercise Medicine at the University of Otago and TUE Committee Chair of World Rugby and Drug Free Sport New Zealand. Prof. Gerrard described the early days and evolution of the medical exemption and TUE process over the course of the past decades.

The closing lecture, titled ‘Ethics and Integrity in Sport: The Big Picture’ was delivered by Dr. Andrew Pipe (Canada), a Faculty of Medicine professor at the University of Ottawa, Athletics Integrity Unit board member and International Basketball Federation medical commission member. Dr. Pipe provided a big picture look at the challenges of inclusivity, health and integrity in sport.

Prof. Gerrard and Dr. Pipe were recognized and celebrated during the Symposium for their decades of service to sport, the anti-doping community and to WADA, specifically in their former roles as long-serving Chairs of the TUE and Prohibited List Expert Advisory Groups.

“The leadership of David and Andrew cannot be overstated,” said Dr. Vernec, “Their expertise, commitment and passion for athletes and clean sport led the way to tangible advances in global anti-doping, and the appreciation they received during the Symposium was truly deserved.”