WADA’s Final Reminder to Signatories | Implementation of 2027 World Anti-Doping Code Within Legal Systems

With the revised World Anti-Doping (WADA) Code due to come into effect on 1 January 2027, WADA is calling for Signatories to complete the implementation of the 2027 Code within their respective legal systems. 

As of 30 October 2026:  

• 21 Signatories have not yet provided a first draft for WADA’s review.  
• 128 Signatories have a draft in line but have not yet adopted the rules and/or legal instruments. These Signatories should prioritise the adoption process before the end of the year.  
• Only 49 Signatories (15%) have fully completed the process.  

As a reminder, 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.  

WADA published the 2027 Model Rules for Code Signatories in 2025. WADA strongly recommends the use of the Model Rules to assist Signatories in this task, especially bearing in mind the current timeframes. WADA requests that prior to the adoption procedure, draft anti-doping rules and, where applicable, other legal instrument(s) should be sent to compliance@wada-ama.org. 

Additionally, WADA is calling for Signatories who received feedback a while ago to send updated drafts for WADA’s review. Drafts must be in English or French and in Microsoft Word format. 

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 as per the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories. 

WADA’s full statement can be found here.  

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