Biological passport system for 2009 season
International Cycling Union (UCI) President Pat McQuaid (L) with UCI doctor Mario Zorzoli. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)
The International Cycling Union (UCI) on Friday said the biological passport system to check cyclists' blood-levels for doping will be formally introduced into its anti-doping rulebook for the 2009 season.
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The system, which records and charts blood and urine levels, is seen as a new and effective weapon in the fight against doping. The decision was taken at a UCI Management Committee meeting in Denmark.
"The Management Committee decided to incorporate the biological passport officially into the Anti-Doping Rules," a UCI statement said Friday. "Riders may now be disciplined under the Anti-Doping Rules on the basis of the biological passport."
In March it set up an anti-doping foundation with an annual budget of five million euros in a bid to rid the under-fire sport of cheats.
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