Extreme caution is recommended regarding supplement use. Neither WADA nor FIG is involved in any supplement certification process and therefore do not certify or endorse manufacturers or their products. WADA and FIG do not control the quality or the claims of the supplements industry.

The use of dietary supplements by gymnasts is a serious concern because in many countries the manufacturing and labeling of supplements do not follow strict rules, which may lead to a supplement containing an undeclared substance that is prohibited under anti-doping regulations. A significant number of positive tests have been attributed to the misuse of supplements and attributing an Adverse Analytical Finding to a poorly labeled dietary supplement is not an adequate defense in a doping hearing.

Companies producing nutritional supplements are not ruled by very strict regulations. In other words, one never exactly knows the supplement’s composition.

The risks of taking supplements should be weighed against the potential benefit that may be obtained, and gymnasts must appreciate the negative consequences of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation as a result of taking a contaminated supplement.

Use of supplement products that have been subjected to one of the available quality assurance schemes can help to reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of an inadvertent doping infringement.