Strict Liability
The anti-doping regulations are subject to the principle of strict liability. In particular, this means that all athletes bear sole responsibility for any substances found in their doping samples. A violation of the anti-doping regulations is deemed to have occurred when a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in a sample. This is the case regardless of whether or not the substance has been administered or consumed intentionally. According to the rulings of the international Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), this regulation is known as strict liability.
The principle of strict liability requires athletes to take on a high degree of personal responsibility. It is therefore essential that they check their medication and nutritional supplements carefully prior to consuming or using them. In everyday life, care should be taken to avoid any unintentional anti-doping rule violation. Athletes can protect themselves by:
- pointing out to healthcare professionals during consultations or treatments that they must comply with the anti-doping rules, and that these must be taken into account when selecting a treatment;
- checking each medication with the medication inquiry service Global DRO or check on https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list prior to their use, and repeating these checks at the turn of the year
- asking MONADA in the event of anything being uncertain or unclear