According to a study by the international anti-doping agency WADA, there is no significant relationship between having a medical certificate and the chance of winning an Olympic medal.
The study was conducted by WADA Medical Director Alan Vernec and WADA Medical Certificate Manager David Healy. The research was recently published in the scientific journal British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The researchers looked at the results of individual competitions at the last five Olympic Games (2010 to 2018) to find out whether an athlete with a so-called Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) is more likely to win a medal. With such a certificate, an athlete is granted a dispensation for the use of prohibited substances for medical reasons.
According to WADA data, 0.90 percent of Olympic participants had a certificate in the period examined (181 out of 20,139 athletes). Of the 2,062 medals, 21 were won by an athlete with a certificate (1.01 percent). “This analysis suggests that there is no significant relationship between participating in a TUE and the chance of winning a medal,” said Vernec.
Criticism of the system of certificates
The granting of medical certificates has been under pressure for some time. Critics believe that the system can be easily exploited by athletes, who can use ‘legal’ doping in this way.
In 2016, Russian hacker collective Fancy Bears revealed the medical records of dozens of elite athletes, revealing that top players like Serena and Venus Williams, Simone Biles, Chris Froome, Laura Trott, Rafael Nadal and Mo Farah had or had a TUE.
“It is clear that the TUE system offers the opportunity to be abused. This is something that cycling federation UCI and WADA should urgently look at,” Froome said in a response nearly four years ago, emphasizing that he never limits of the rules.
WADA has always defended the system of medical certificates and, with this new study in hand, seems to want to point out the benefits again.
“Certificates are a necessary part of the sport, as they provide a level playing field for athletes with a legitimate medical condition,” said Vernec. “There is a strict protocol to prevent abuse.”
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