Official interpretation clarifies in-competition alcohol ban for athletes

Alcohol has been considered a banned substance at any competition under World Archery rules since the start of 2018, when it was removed from the prohibited list by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

World Archery has continued to test for alcohol at its international events.

A recent interpretation has clarified the extent to which alcohol is considered banned at any competition held under World Archery rules.

It states “the ban on alcohol is based on the same principles as other banned substances under the World Anti-Doping Code” and that of strict liability. If the presence of any banned substance is found when an athlete is tested at a competition then they “have violated the rules and will be subject to penalties”.

This means that it is the athlete’s responsibility to make sure they are free of alcohol at any time that they could be tested during a competition. If the presence of alcohol is found, then they will have broken the rules.

The timeframes for testing were also defined and are available in the full document.

A differentiation is made between the ban on the presence of alcohol for athletes in competition and alcohol abuse by an accredited person, the latter of which contravenes World Archery’s code of ethics and conduct but does not make such persons liable for in-competition testing.