Will Ozempic get banned from the Olympics and World Cup?

They’re sweeping the country — and raising questions in the locker room.At least one in eight American adults say they’ve used a GLP-1 drug such as Ozempic or Wegovy to lose weight or manage a chronic health condition, a stunning rise in just a few years.And while top athletes may seem unlikely candidates for the same blockbuster treatments used by everyday dieters, experts say they’re a growing topic of discussion inside the world of professional sports.“I would not characterize GLP-1 medications as widespread within elite sport today, but awareness and curiosity have increased substantially over the past two years,” Dr.

Mark Kovacs, a performance physiologist who has worked with hundreds of professional athletes, told The Post.“As with many emerging medical interventions, athletes, coaches, agents, physicians and performance staff are asking questions about their potential benefits and risks.”The growing interest has caught the attention of watchdogs, too.

In 2024, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) added GLP-1s to its monitoring list, signaling that officials are paying close attention to how the drugs are being used in sports.For now, GLP-1s remain legal in competition.But as their popularity grows, so does speculation about whether today’s weight-loss wonder drugs could eventually become tomorrow’s prohibited substances.To learn more, The Post asked four experts to weigh in on the current state of play — and what may come next.Maybe — but it’s not as simple as getting lighter.

GLP-1s work by mimicking hormones released in the gut in response to eating, helping regulate blood sugar, slow digestion and reduce appetite.“GLP-1s can significantly reduce body weight and body fat, which could theoretically benefit athletes in sports where power-to-weight ratio, endurance efficiency, speed or weight-class requirements are important,” said Dr.Paul Gross, a physician specializing in diabetes, weight management and metabolic dysfunction....