A World Anti-Doping Agency study has found no meaningful association between an athlete having a Therapeutic Use Exemption and winning an Olympic medal.
The study, conducted by WADA medical director, Dr. Alan Vernec, and WADA TUE manager, David Healy, looked at five summer and winter Games between 2010 and 2018.
It aimed to determine if those with TUEs - a special permission granted by Anti-Doping Organizations to an athlete to use a prohibited substance if there is a legitimate medical need - won more medals than those without.
Dr Vernec said: "The percentage of athletes with TUEs competing in elite sport and the association with winning medals has been a matter of speculation in the absence of validated competitor data.
"The Olympic Games provides a unique opportunity to analyse sport at the highest level with a clearly defined group of competing athletes.
"The data showed that the number of athletes competing with valid TUEs (in individual competitions) at the selected Games was less than one per cent.
Furthermore, the analysis suggests that there is no meaningful association between competing with a TUE and the likelihood of winning a medal."
