UKAD reports that anabolic agents were the most sanctioned for substances in 2024/25
Athletes caught doping were most likely to test positive for anabolic agents according to UK Anti-Doping’s (UKAD) latest testing report published today (covering April 2024 – March 2025).
UKAD stated that 50% of analytical Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) published during the period came from positive test results containing anabolic agents - most commonly steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs). Seventeen ADRVs were published by UKAD across the year, twelve of which originated from testing.
UKAD conducted a total of 8,678 tests between April 2024 and March 2025, an increase from the previous year. Testing during this period focused on the build-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, alongside UKAD’s national-level programmes.
The report, which is published every quarter, showed that UKAD conducted 2,073 anti-doping tests between January and March 2025 (the last quarter of its 2024/25 Financial Year). Football, athletics, professional boxing and rugby (union and league) continue to be the most tested sports in the UK, with football, again, the most tested sport.
Hamish Coffey, UKAD’s Director of Operations, said:
“Testing of athletes, working closely with international anti-doping partners, is essential to deter and detect doping in sport. UKAD has delivered another comprehensive intelligence-led testing programme on elite athletes across 2024/25, targeting the areas of sport with the greatest risks associated with doping.”
“Anabolic agents are known to increase muscle mass, which is a huge reason why some young people choose to use them. There’s no place for them in sport. Athletes caught using them jeopardise their careers and damage the integrity of their sports. Steroids and other anabolic agents are dangerous and carry serious health risks, as highlighted in UKAD’s recent video.”
UKAD’s risk-based and intelligence-led testing programme covers more than 50 sports, including Olympic and Paralympic sports, as well as professional and team sports; many of which are unique in their doping risks.
Notes
Anabolic agents continue to be UKAD’s most sanctioned for substance category. For reference, 10 out of 22 analytical ADRVs published by UKAD in 2023/24 related to anabolic agents.
For more information on UKAD’s testing programme and to view previous UKAD’s testing reports, visit: https:/www.ukad.org.uk/quarterly-reports-ukads-testing-programme.
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