In accordance with World Anti-Doping Code (Code) Article 5.6.1, which concerns retired athletes returning to competition, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published the following documents on its website (https://www.wada-ama.org/en/resources/world-anti-doping-program/code-article-561-exemption-application-procedure-and-guidelines):
- Exemption Application Guidelines for determining whether an exemption is warranted;
- An Exemption Application Procedure, which aims to provide guidance to athletes and ADOs as to the required information and to their respective responsibilities in order to ensure an efficient processing of the application;
- A form to be completed by the athlete (Form 1);
- A form to be completed by the ADO that collected the athlete’s Whereabouts Filings (Form 2); and
- A form to be completed by the other applicable ADO (Form 3).
As a reminder, Code Article 5.6.1 states that:
If an International- or National-Level Athlete in a Registered Testing Pool retires and then wishes to return to active participation in sport, the Athlete shall not compete in International Events or National Events until the Athlete has made himself or herself available for Testing, by giving six-months prior written notice to their International Federation and National Anti-Doping Organization. WADA, in consultation with the relevant International Federation and National Anti-Doping Organization, may grant an exemption to the six-month written notice rule where the strict application of that rule would be unfair to an Athlete. This decision may be appealed under Article 13.
Should you have any questions or comments, contact WADA’s Results Management (rm@wada-ama.org) unit.