Weight-loss drugs will stay off banned list for athletes in 2027

Athletes will be allowed to use weight-loss drugs in 2027, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) announced this week. Wada is the global organization that decides which substances athletes are and are not allowed to use in competition. The agency said it needs more research before it can decide whether popular weight-loss drugs give athletes an unfair edge.

The drugs in question include semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are sold under brand names like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. These medications were originally created to help people manage their weight and blood sugar. In recent years, they have become very popular around the world, and some people have wondered whether athletes might use them to perform better in their sports.

Wada added these drugs to its 'monitoring list' in 2024, which means the agency is watching them closely but has not yet banned them. At a meeting of its executive committee on Thursday, Wada confirmed that the drugs would stay off the banned list for 2027. The agency said it wants to wait for more information about how the drugs affect athletes before making a final call.

Prof. Olivier Rabin, Wada's senior director of science and medicine, explained the decision. He said the agency had 'carefully' thought about whether to ban the drugs. However, he said there simply is not enough proof yet to say the drugs meet the requirements for a ban.

Wada has a clear set of rules for banning a substance. A drug can be prohibited if it does at least two of these three things: boosts an athlete's performance, puts the athlete's health at risk, or goes against the values of fair sport. Right now, scientists do not have enough data to say for sure that weight-loss drugs check two of those boxes.

The agency already has one scientific study underway and has started a second one to look at how these drugs affect athletes specifically. Prof. Rabin said both studies should provide the evidence needed to make a clear decision in the future. Wada plans to revisit the topic at its next executive committee meeting in September 2026, and any new rules would not take effect until January 2028.

One of the most well-known athletes to talk publicly about using weight-loss drugs is Serena Williams, who won 23 Grand Slam tennis titles during her career. The 44-year-old made a return to tennis this summer after being away from the sport for four years. Williams works as a spokesperson for Ro, a company that sells weight-loss medication, and her husband Alexis Ohanian is an investor in the company.