WADA to add painkiller Tramadol to its banned list

Wada is adding the drug Tramadol to its list of banned substances, according to a report in The Telegraph.

The painkiller is set to be one of the latest additions to WADA’s list of banned substances. The drug has been on Wada’s monitoring programme for over ten years. Many have called for it to be added to the banned list.

The drug was popular in professional cycling circles, as it would reduce any pain from a cyclist’s body when they made hard efforts. For that reason, it is also considered to be very dangerous as a rider could push themselves even harder than they should. Furthermore, Tramadol can cause drowsiness in a race, and a decrease in concentration, which can cause extremely dangerous situations in a fast and frantic finale.

Nairo Quintana, who finished sixth at the 2022 Tour de France, tested positive for the drug and was subsequently removed from the results. His positive test was not considered Anti-Doping Rule Violation. Under the current rules, it only counted as breaking the “UCI Medical Rules.”

Nairo Quintana withdraws from Vuelta after Tour de France tramadol positive

Quintana denies having taken Tramadol.

In April, former pro cyclist Taylor Phinney said when he raced, the drug was everywhere. “You would smash a couple of Tramadol at the end of the race, which is basically like taking a Vicodin or two along with like a bunch of caffeine and maybe some Sudafed. I mean, that’s a bomb right there. If I took one of those right now it would send me to the moon,” Phinney said.

Tramadol was banned by the UCI, in competition, in March 2019. The reasoning was “to protect the riders’ health and safety in light of the side-effects.”