Xenon (a noble gas used as a dopant)

The World Anti-Doping Agency will ban the noble gases xenon and argon effective September 1, 2014.

After it became known in the spring of 2014 that Russian athletes had been using xenon for years to exploit a potential positive effect on the production of EPO (erythropoietin)—which can influence athletic performance in endurance sports—WADA responded immediately.

WADA Prohibited List

S2 - PEPTIDE HORMONES, GROWTH FACTORS, RELATED SUBSTANCES, AND MIMETICS

The following substances, and other substances with a similar chemical structure or similar biological effect(s), are prohibited:
1. Erythropoietins (EPO) and agents affecting erythropoiesis, including, but not limited to:
1.1 ...
1.2 Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) activating agents, e.g., argon; cobalt; molidustat; roxadustat (FG-4592); xenon
1.3 ...
1.4 ...

Excerpt from the list as of January 1, 2026
; see also doping lists

Further literature and detection of doping

Thevis M, Piper T, Geyer H, Schaefer MS, Schneemann J, Kienbaum P, Schänzer W. Urine analysis for xenon in doping control. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. Jan. 15, 2015;29(1):61–6
Abstract

Thevis M, Piper T, Geyer H, Thomas A, Schaefer M, Kienbaum P, Schänzer W: Measuring xenon in human plasma and blood by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2014, 28, 1501–1506
Abstract

Schaefer MS, Piper T, Geyer H, Schneemann J, Neukirchen M, Thevis M, Kienbaum P. Xenon elimination kinetics following brief exposure. Drug Test Anal. May 2017;9(5):666-670
Abstract