TUEs

Therapeutic Use Exemption Applications

What is a TUE?
Squash athletes like others may have illnesses or conditions that require them to take a medication that is on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. A TUE may be granted to enable the athlete to take the required medication without committing an Anti-Doping Rule Violation. The granting of a TUE is not automatic. Athletes must follow the appropriate process in accordance with WADA’s International Standard for TUEs.

Do I need a TUE?
Athletes are solely responsible for all substances taken via all possible routes of administration, including all the medicines they take. It is therefore critical that all medication is checked for prohibited substances and methods, several resources exist such as: Global Drug Reference Online.

Which Athletes Can Apply for a TUE?
All athletes that compete in sport at the international level (as defined by each International Federation) or the national level (as defined by each National Anti-Doping Organization) can apply for a TUE.
International level squash athletes apply directly to the WSF, National level athletes apply to their NADO.

What are the criteria for granting a TUE?
All four of the following criteria must be met for a TUE to be granted:

  1. The athlete would experience significant health problems without taking the prohibited substance or method
  2. The use of the prohibited substance or method would not produce an additional enhancement of performance other than that which might be anticipated by the return of the athlete’s normal health, following treatment of the medical condition
  3. There are no reasonable therapeutic alternatives or other alternatives available other than the prohibited substance or method.
  4. The necessity for the use of the prohibited substance or method is not a consequence, wholly or in part, of the prior use (without a TUE) of a substance or method which was prohibited at the time of such use.

Who grants TUEs?
The WSF Therapeutic Use Exemption Commission (TUEC), comprising independent physicians, is responsible for reviewing and deciding on all requests from International level athletes who wish to play in a squash event covered under the WSF Anti-Doping Programme.

How do I apply for a TUE?
Athletes must obtain a TUE application form, have their physician fill out and sign the form, produce the required supporting documentation and send it to the WSF at wsf@worldsquash.org, which will then be reviewed by the TUEC
Applications that are not filled in correctly will be returned to the athlete and not considered until the errors and/or omissions are corrected.
Athletes should keep a copy of the application and a record of the transmission or acknowledgement of its receipt.

Where do I find the application form?
The TUE application form may be downloaded here

How long does an application take to process?
A letter of approval or denial is normally sent within 3-5 days of receipt of a complete application, although this may take considerably longer it will take no longer than 21 days.
Applications should be made at least 30 days before the athlete wishes to use the medication in question.

Can the decision of the TUEC be Appealed?
All TUE decisions are sent to WADA whose own TUEC may reverse any decision. An athlete whose TUE application is denied by the WSF TUEC can Appeal the decision to the WADA TUEC (at their own expense).
A TUE application that is denied by WADA can be Appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a final decision.

When can I start using the medication and for how long?
TUEs are effective from the date specified on the Letter of Approval. Athletes should not assume that their application will be granted even for the renewal of an existing TUE.
Any athlete using a Prohibited Substance prior to approval does so entirely at their own risk.
All TUEs are granted for a specific period of time and so do expire. Before a TUE has expired a new application must be submitted for a renewal to permit continued use of the prohibited substance.

Can I get a backdated TUE?
TUEs are only retroactively approved for emergency treatment or exceptional circumstances.

What happens if a Prohibited Substance is detected during a test analysis?
When a report is received from the laboratory, an initial review takes place to verify whether the athlete has a valid TUE for the prohibited substance and that the results of the analysis are consistent with the conditions of that TUE. If this is the case, the result of the test will be recorded as negative.

My TUE was approved by my National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO), do I need to submit another TUE to the WSF?
Athletes who compete at the national level or below need only obtain a TUE from their NADO. When such an athlete wishes to compete at an event under the jurisdiction of the WSF Anti-Doping Programme a new TUE application would only be required if the NADO issued TUE had not been processed in accordance with the WADA International Standard for TUE (ISTUE).
It is important for athletes to check with the WSF that their NADO approved TUE is recognized before entering an International level competition.

Note: This is a summary of the TUE process and is not a substitute for a full review which can be found on the WADA website. Other information that you might find useful: