The World Anti-Doping Agency has banned the use of Tramadol.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said it will ban the use of the painkiller tramadol on competitive athletes from 2024, and confirmed after review that it had extended the ban on cannabis.

The WADA Executive Committee made these decisions after a meeting in Sydney, Australia, today, and based on recommendations from the agency's advisory group on the list of sports-prohibited substances.

The agency said in a press release that the research it funded confirmed the possibility of tramadol's effect on enhancing physical performance in addition to other risks, including addiction, which led to the imposition of many countries restrictions on the use of the drug.

Former England football goalkeeper Chris Kirkland said in July that his addiction to and abuse of tramadol to treat back problems had pushed him to the brink of suicide.

The agency said that the reason for the delay in imposing the ban on the drug until 2024 is to determine the effects of the decision on athletes and medical staff.

Cannabis was banned last year when American sprinter Shakiri Richardson was banned from the Tokyo Olympics after a month-long ban for using the substance following the death of her mother.

But the agency reduced the penalty for athletes who use the substance outside competition from two years to between one and three months.

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