Military & Sports: SARMs Banned by DoD, WADA & NCAA in 2025

schedule8 min readcalendar_todayUpdated Nov 29, 2025
GUIDE

ALL SARMs are prohibited in military service, Olympic sports, and NCAA athletics. Testing is routine and penalties are severe—including dishonorable discharge and multi-year competition bans.

articleDepartment of Defense Prohibition

Legal Authority

  • DoD Instruction 6130.06: Use of Dietary Supplements in the DoD
  • UCMJ Article 112a: Wrongful Use of Controlled Substances
  • OPSS: Operation Supplement Safety maintains prohibited list

Prohibited Status

  • ALL SARMs on DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List
  • List includes 800+ substances (updated quarterly)
  • Military exchange (AAFES) prohibited from selling products with listed ingredients

Penalties

  • Dishonorable discharge
  • Forfeiture of all pay and allowances
  • Up to 5 years confinement
  • Reduction to lowest enlisted grade
  • Security clearance permanently revoked

articleWADA Prohibition

2025 Prohibited List

  • Category: S1.2 Anabolic Agents
  • Status: Prohibited in AND out of competition
  • Scope: All Olympic sports, World Championships, international competition

Explicitly Listed SARMs

  • Ostarine (MK-2866)
  • Ligandrol (LGD-4033)
  • RAD-140 (Testolone)
  • Andarine (S-4)
  • MK-677 (Ibutamoren)
  • Cardarine (GW-501516)

TUE Status

No Therapeutic Use Exemption available. No SARM has approved medical use, so TUE pathway is closed.

Penalties

  • 2-4 year competition ban (first offense)
  • Results nullification
  • Medal/prize money forfeiture
  • Lifetime ban possible (repeat offenses)

articleNCAA Prohibition

NCAA Banned Substances List

  • ALL SARMs included under Anabolic Agents
  • Year-round prohibition (not just competition)
  • Applies to all NCAA divisions

Testing

  • Random year-round testing
  • Championship event testing
  • Postseason testing

Penalties

  • Immediate ineligibility
  • Loss of scholarship
  • Team sanctions possible
  • 1-year minimum suspension (first offense)

articleTesting & Detection

Testing Methods

  • Primary: Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) urine
  • Emerging: Hair testing (longer detection)
  • Blood: Indirect markers (growth hormone-related)

Detection Windows

SARMUrine Detection
OstarineUp to 9 days
LigandrolUp to 22 days
RAD-140Up to 5-8 days
CardarineUp to 40 days

Note: Detection windows vary by dose, duration, and individual metabolism.

help_outlineFrequently Asked Questions

Absolutely not. ALL SARMs are on the DoD Prohibited List. Violations under UCMJ Article 112a carry dishonorable discharge, confinement up to 5 years, and permanent security clearance revocation.
Detection windows vary: Ostarine ~9 days, Ligandrol ~22 days, RAD-140 ~5-8 days, Cardarine ~40 days. Hair testing can extend detection to 90+ days.

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