UCI sees positive results of its anti-Tramadol campaign: "The use of Tramadol in cycling has fallen from 6 percent to 0.2%"

UCI has been waging a war against the Tramadol for years. The drug, an opioid painkiller, had been considered banned in the context of competitive activities organized by the UCI since 2019, which made them sort of pioneer, given that the substance in question will become a part of the list of substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency only from January 1st.

The war in question seems to have borne fruit: Aigle reports that the use of Tramadol in the various groups has now disappeared. "The percentage of use of Tramadol in cycling has fallen from between 4 and 6 percent in the period before 2019, to a figure between 0.2 and 0.5 percent following that date," UCI boasts about their success.

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"It must be remembered that the use of the substance in question has been banned in cycling competitions since March 2019 not because it improves performance, but for medical reasons, since Tramadol causes drowsiness and dependence."

In addition the UCI announces that "from 2019 to today we have conducted approximately 2200 tests at the end of the various races and in total three cases of use, which led to disqualification from the relevant competition and to a financial penalty." This involves Alex Baudin (Giro d’Italia 2023), Nairo Quintana (Tour de France 2022) and Mykhaylo Kononenko (World Cup 2022).

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