NEW WORLD ANTI-DOPING CODE 2027

The World Anti-Doping Agency released the following Statement on 10 August 2026:

Reminder regarding implementation of 2027 World Anti-Doping Code within legal systems

With approximately five months remaining before the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code (Code) enters into force, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) wishes to thank those Signatories that have already begun implementing the 2027 Code within their respective legal systems. This communication also serves as a reminder to those Signatories that have not yet started or not yet completed the process.

On 18 December 2025, WADA published the 2027 Model Rules for Code Signatories (Model Rules). The Model Rules aim to support National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs), International Federations (IFs), and Major Event Organizations (MEOs) in drafting their new anti-doping rules in line with the 2027 Code.

Since then, WADA has been encouraging Signatories to:

1. Assess their internal legal frameworks to determine which anti-doping rules and (where applicable) other legal instrument(s) must be amended or drafted to ensure compliance with the 2027 Code; and then
2. Draft the relevant anti-doping rules and (where applicable) other legal instrument(s) as soon as possible, keeping in mind that such processes can take considerable time to complete.

Once Signatories have finalized the abovementioned draft anti-doping rules and (where applicable) other legal instrument(s), WADA kindly requests that, prior to the beginning of the adoption procedure, these drafts be sent to compliance@wada-ama.org. This will allow WADA to ensure they are in line with the 2027 Code or provide feedback if they are not¹.

Please note that drafts must be in English or French and in Microsoft Word format.

As of today, 28 NADOs and 46 IFs have not yet submitted a first draft to WADA for review and only 6 NADOs and 3 IFs have already adopted rules that WADA has deemed to be in line with the 2027 Code. As a result:

• Those Signatories who have not yet submitted a first draft of their rules or have not yet submitted a revised draft following WADA’s comments are encouraged to provide their drafts to WADA for review as soon as possible.
• Those Signatories who have finalized draft rules and (where applicable) other legal instrument(s) in line with the 2027 Code but have not yet proceeded with formal adoption are encouraged to ensure that the adoption procedure is completed as soon as possible, so that their legal frameworks are Code-compliant by 1 January 2027.

Should Signatories’ legal systems not be compliant with the 2027 Code by the end of this year, WADA will be required to issue Corrective Action Reports in early 2027 per the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories.

For further assistance, Signatories are encouraged to contact their WADA Regional Office. WADA remains committed to providing any support, assistance and guidance that might be needed in the process and thanks all Signatories for their cooperation in this exercise.

Note:

⁽¹⁾ In keeping with its ISO-certified compliance monitoring program, WADA will make its best effort to reply to Signatories within three weeks from the day of receipt of the relevant documents or time of the initial communication or request.

We advise clients on all aspects of doping in sport, including the rules under the new WADA Code, in Switzerland and the other countries that we cover, and further information is available from Dr Lucien Valloni by emailing him at valloni@valloni.ch.