An athlete biological passport is an individual electronic record for professional athletes, in which profiles of biological markers of doping and results of doping tests are collated over a period of time. Doping violations can be detected by noting variances from an athlete's established levels outside permissible limits, rather than testing for and identifying illegal substances.
Although the terminology athlete passport is recent, the use of biological markers of doping has a long history in anti-doping. Maybe the first marker of doping that tries to detect a prohibited substance not based on its presence in urine or blood but instead the induced deviations in biological parameters is the testosterone over epitestosterone ratio (T/E). The T/E has been used by sports authorities since the beginning of the 1980s to detect anabolic steroids in urine samples. A decade later, in 1997, markers of blood doping were introduced by some international federations, such as the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the Federation Internationale de Ski, to deter the abuse of recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) that was undetectable by direct means at that time.
In 2002 the concept of using biological markers to detect doping became known by the term "athlete passport". The advantages were listed in a science journal paper. and the terminology adopted by the World Anti-Doping agency.
While a new drug test must be developed and validated for each new drug, the advantage of the athlete passport is that it is based on the natural stability of the physiology of the human being. There can be a lag of between the availability of a new drug and the development of an effective test. In contrast, the physiology of the human being remains the same through several generations and all biomarkers developed today in the athlete passport will remain valid for at least several decades. For example, the blood module of the passport is already sensitive today to any new future form of recombinant erythropoietin, as well as to any form of gene doping that will enhance oxygen transfer to the muscles. Also, while a negative drug test does not necessarily mean that the athlete did not dope, the athlete can present their passport at the beginning of a competition to attest that they will compete in their natural, unaltered condition.
The athlete passport was widely covered in the media when the blood module was established at the beginning of the 2008 racing season by the world cycling federation, the UCI. In May 2008 the UCI revealed that 23 riders were under suspicion of doping following the first phase of blood tests conducted under the new biological passport.
The blood module of the athlete passport aims to detect any form of blood doping, the steroid module any form of doping with anabolic steroid and the endocrine module any modification of the growth hormone/IGF-1 axis. Each of these modules are however at different steps of development, validation and application in sports.
Athlete biological passport testing According to the World Anti-Doping Agency, the athlete biological passport is administered to establish whether an athlete is manipulating their physiological variables without detecting a particular substance or method. The biological passport uses the standardized approach of urine sampling to determine steroid abuse. The objective of this testing is to identify athletes in a haematological module and a steroidal module.
The haematological module tests for certain markers in the body that identify the enhancement of oxygen transport. The specific markers the module tests for include haematocrit, haemoglobin, red blood cell count, percentage of reticulocytes, reticulocytes count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean red cell distribution width, and immature reticulocyte fraction.
The steroidal module collects information on markers for steroid doping and aims to identify endogenous anabolic androgenic steroids. The specific markers the module tests for include testosterone, epitestosterone, the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio, androsterone, and etiocholanolone.
The World Anti-Doping Agency recently released the 2014 Prohibited Substances list and it will take effect on 1 January. In the new list, the agency modified the definitions of exogenous and endogenous steroids being tested for in the steroidal module of the biological passport.
Cycling
Whereabouts rules
Under the new rules, registered riders have to give the Union Cycliste Internationale daily information about their location and provide a one-hour window for possible testing. They have to submit a form every quarter-year saying where they will be every day of the next quarter and they must notify the UCI if they change their whereabouts on any day. This means the whereabouts information provided in the whereabouts filings is accurate and sufficient in detail to enable any relevant Anti-Doping Organization to locate the riders for testing on any given day in that period of time.http://www.uci.ch/includes/asp/getTarget.asp?type=FILE&id=NDc3MDk
Cyclists sanctioned on basis of biological passports The biological passport programme has allowed the UCI to sanction riders for committing an anti-doping rule violation. Riders have also been targeted with further doping controls based on their biological passport.
NameTeamCountryEventStart of disqualificationSanctionSanctionannouncedIneligibility startingIneligibility endingReference(s)António AmorimRoad racing24 July 20102 years ineligibility10 July 201314 April 2015Ciclista António Amorim suspenso devido à irregularidades no passaporte biológico, expresso.sapo.pt, 10 July 2013Amorim bio-passport 10/07/2013 Violation #1101, dopeology.orgIgor AstarloaRoad racing15 Aug. 20092 years ineligibility1 Dec. 201026 Nov. 201025 Nov. 2012Andrew Hood: Former world champion Igor Astarloa suspended and fined based on ‘biological passport’ doping charges, velonews.com, 1 December 2010UCI: Press release – Biological Passport: Igor Astarloa Askasibar sanctioned, uci.ch, 1 December 2010Carlos Barredo, Road racing17 Oct. 2007–24 Sept. 2011, only2 years ineligibilityJuly 201418 Oct 201217 Oct 2014Leonardo Bertagnolli, , Road racing1 Jan. 2003–18 May 20112 years and 10 months ineligibilityJuly 201424 Nov. 2013Pietro CaucchioliRoad racing18 June 20092 years ineligibility3 June 201018 June 200917 June 2011Stepen Farrand: Pietro Caucchioli banned for two years Italian sanctioned after suspicious UCI Biological Passport data, cyclingnews.com, 3 June 2010Francesco De Bonis, Road racing18 June 20092 years ineligibilityMay 201018 June 200917 June 2011De Bonis first to be banned based on biological passport, Reuters, 27 May 2010Leif HosteRoad racing2 years ineligibility29 Mar. 201329 Dec. 2015Rubén LobatoSaunier Duval–ScottRoad racing16 July 20102 years ineligibilityJuly 201016 July 201015 July 2012Associated Press: Spanish cyclist Ruben Lobato handed 2-year doping ban, USA Today, 27 July 2010UCI: Sanctions, Period of Ineligibily, Disqualification Sanctions, Période de Suspension, DisqualificationDenis Menchov, Road racing2009, 2010 & 2012 TdF, only2 years ineligibilityJuly 201410 April 20149 April 2015Franco PellizottiRoad racing7 May 20092 years ineligibilityMarch 20113 May 20102 May 2012Sérgio RibeiroRoad racing12 years ineligibility (2nd ARDV)14 July 2025Ricardo SerranoRoad racing7 May 20092 years ineligibility17 June 20107 May 20096 May 2011Jonathan Tiernan-Locke/Road racing2012 Tour of Britain & 2012 UCI Worlds,only2 years ineligibilityJuly 201431 Dec. 201331 Dec. 2015Tadej ValjavecRoad racing19 April–30 Sept. 2009,only2 years ineligibilityApril 201120 Jan. 201119 Jan. 2013
During the first three years of UCI's bio passport program 26 riders were found positive for EPO. In 20 out of the 26 cases, it was the abnormal blood profile which raised suspicions leading to a targeted doping test.Dr. Dick Marty, Peter Nicholson, Dr. Ulrich Haas – Cycling Independent Reform Commission: Report to the President of the Union Cycliste Internationale, p.53
Manuel Beltrán (Liquigas) tested positive for EPO at the 2008 Tour de France in a targeted test after anomalies appeared in a blood sample taken at the start of the Tour. The pre Tour blood samples were collected by the French Anti-doping Agency (AFLD) and the results from the testings were submitted to the UCI to form part of their database of profiles for their biological passport programme.Liquigas risk Tour expulsion as Beltran tests positive, velonation.com, 11 July 2008 Gabriele Bosisio (LPR Brakes-Ballan) tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition control in September 2010, after having been targeted under the biological passport programme. He received a two-year sanction.Associated Press: Bosisio suspended for two years, espn.com, 28 April 2010 Antonio Colom (Team Katusha) tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition control in April 2009, after having been targeted under the biological passport programme. He received a two-year sanction. Thomas Dekker (Rabobank) tested positive for EPO in a retroactive test carried out on a urine sample taken in December 2007. Dekker's hematological profile led the UCI to review the EPO analyses for urine samples conducted since the introduction of the biological passport programme. Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes-Ballan) tested positive for CERA twice during the 2009 Giro d'Italia after being targeted under the biological passport programme.Daniel Simms: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/di-luca-positive-for-cera-in-giro, cyclingnews.com, 22 July 2009Danilo Di Luca suspended after failing drug tests during Giro d'Italia, The Telegraph, 22 July 2009 Alberto Fernández de la Puebla (Fuji–Servetto) tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition control in October 2009, after having been targeted under the biological passport programme.De La Puebla Ramos nabbed by passport program, cyclingnews.com, 5 November 2009 He received a two-year sanction.Richard Tyler: UCI suspends Larpe, Coló for drug positives, cyclingnews.com, 21 May 2010 David George (MTB) tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition control 29 August 2012, after having been targeted under the biological passport programme of the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (the South African national Anti-doping agency). He admitted to having used EPO and received a two-year sanction.David George gets 2-year ban, espn.com 5 December 2012Former US Postal rider David George tests positive for EPO, velonation.com 6 November 2012 Massimo Giunti (Androni Giocattoli) tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition control in February 2010, after having been targeted under the biological passport programme.Stephen Farrand and Richard Tyler: Giunti tests positive for EPO, suspended, cyclingnews.com, 11 March 2010 He received a two-year sanction.Agence France-Presse: Davide Rebellin, Eladio Jimenez Sanchez and Massimo Giunti draw two-year suspensions , velones.com, 2 October 2010 Eddy Ratti (De Rosa-Stac Plastic) tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition control in January 2010, after having been targeted under the biological passport programme.Richard Tyler: Ratti tests positive for EPO, cyclingnews.com, 13 February 2010 He received a two-year sanction.Sébastien Toussaint: Eddy Ratti suspended by the CONI for two years, cyclingcoverage.com, 2 April 2010 Manuel Vázquez Hueso (Andalucía-Cajasur) tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition control in March 2010, after having been targeted under the biological passport programme.Vazquez Hueso suspended for EPO use, cyclingnews.com, 26 April 2010 He received a two-year sanction.
Athletics