Athlete_biological_passport

Athlete biological passport

Athlete biological passport

Electronic record for athletes


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.[1]

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 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.[2] and the terminology adopted by the World Anti-Doping agency.[3]

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 his/her passport at the beginning of a competition to attest that he/she will compete in his/her 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.[4] 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.[5]

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 his/her 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.[6]

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.[7]

Cycling

Ricardo Serrano was one of the five first riders that UCI opened a biological passport case against, in 2009.[8]

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 him for testing on any given day in that period of time.[9]

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.

More information Name, Team ...

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.[28]

  • 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.[29]
  • 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.[30]
  • 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.[31]
  • 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.[15][32]
  • 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.[33][34]
  • 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.[35] He received a two-year sanction.[36]
  • 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.[37][38]
  • 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.[39] He received a two-year sanction.[40]
  • 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.[41] He received a two-year sanction.[42]
  • 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.[43] He received a two-year sanction.

Athletics

The International Association of Athletics Federations, now known as World Athletics, introduced their Athletes Biological Passport programme in 2009, and announced the first sanction under the passport in May 2012.[44][45] The Portuguese marathon runner Hélder Ornelas became the first track and field athlete to get suspended for doping based on the biological passport.[44][45][46] He received a four-year suspension in May 2012.[47]

Track and field athletes sanctioned on basis of biological passports

More information Name, Country ...

In March 2014 the Spanish athletics federation cleared Marta Dominguez in a bio passport case. El País reported that IAAF were going to take the case to CAS.[107] In February 2014 IAAF announced they would appeal Aslı Çakır Alptekins ABP related doping case to CAS after the Turkish federation had cleared her. IAAF also suspended her provisionally.[108] An IAAF spokesperson in January 2015 confirmed that Russian race walker Sergey Bakulin was provisionally suspended since December 2012 in an ABP related doping case.[109] IAAF otherwise doesn't publicly announce provisional suspensions. In February 2015 Turkish press reported that Ümmü Kiraz, Bahar Doğan, Semiha Mutlu and Meliz Redif were under investigation in bio passport cases.[110]

Triathlon

In 2012 USADA sanctioned the American triathlete Mark Fretta "after variations in his individual longitudinal blood profile as well as other documentary evidence indicated the use of Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents".[111] Fretta received a four-year ban,[111] and his results from 18 August 2010 onwards were annulled.[112]

Football (soccer)

In 2014, the biological passport was introduced in the 2014 FIFA World Cup; blood and urine samples from all players before the competition and from two players per team and per match were analysed by the Swiss Laboratory for Doping Analyses.[113]

Notes

  1. A. Goumri died in a car crash in January 2013

References

  1. Swiss Laboratory for Doping Analyses. "Information on the athlete biological passport". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  2. Ashenden M. (March 2002). "A strategy to detect doping in sports". Haematologica. 87 (3): 225–32. PMID 11869930.
  3. "Q-A on the athlete passport". World Anti-Doping Agency. Archived from the original on 3 February 2010.
  4. "Implementation of blood passport by UCI". UCI. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012.
  5. Richard Moore (3 May 2008). "Blood tests cast doubt on 23 riders". The Guardian.
  6. "Ressources" (PDF). Agence mondiale antidopage. 22 July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  7. "Ressources" (PDF). Agence mondiale antidopage. 22 July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  8. Gregor Brown: UCI names first five biological passport violators, cyclingnews.com, 18 June 2009
  9. Barry Ryan (December 2010). "Astarloa suspended and fined for UCI biological passport infraction". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  10. UCI (10 July 2014). "UCI Doping Suspensions". UCI.ch. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014.
  11. Associated Press: Spanish cyclist Ruben Lobato handed 2-year doping ban, USA Today, 27 July 2010
  12. "Sanctions, Period of Ineligibility, Disqualification (2011)". UCI Website. UCI. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013.
  13. Dr. Dick Marty, Peter Nicholson, Dr. Ulrich Haas – Cycling Independent Reform Commission: Report to the President of the Union Cycliste Internationale, p.53
  14. Associated Press: Bosisio suspended for two years, espn.com, 28 April 2010
  15. Susan Westemeyer (1 July 2009). "Dekker caught under biological passport programme". cyclingnews.com.
  16. De La Puebla Ramos nabbed by passport program, cyclingnews.com, 5 November 2009
  17. Richard Tyler: UCI suspends Larpe, Coló for drug positives, cyclingnews.com, 21 May 2010
  18. David George gets 2-year ban, espn.com 5 December 2012
  19. Stephen Farrand and Richard Tyler: Giunti tests positive for EPO, suspended, cyclingnews.com, 11 March 2010
  20. Richard Tyler: Ratti tests positive for EPO, cyclingnews.com, 13 February 2010
  21. Sébastien Toussaint: Eddy Ratti suspended by the CONI for two years, cyclingcoverage.com, 2 April 2010
  22. Vazquez Hueso suspended for EPO use, cyclingnews.com, 26 April 2010
  23. "Runner banned in doping case". ESPN. Associated Press. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  24. "MEDIA RELEASE ATHLETICS THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) UPHOLDS SIX APPEALS FILED BY THE IAAF AGAINST RUSSIAN ATHLETES" (PDF). The Court of Arbitration for Sport. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  25. "DOPING: Four more Turkish athletes banned by anti-doping". Track Arena. 25 October 2015. Archived from the original on 3 November 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  26. "Tribunal Arbitral du Sport Court of Arbitration for Sport MEDIA RELEASE ATHLETICS – ANTI-DOPING MARTA DOMINGUEZ BANNED FOR 3 YEARS BY THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS)" (PDF). tas-cas.org. Court of Arbitration for Sport. 19 November 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  27. Associated Press: Qatari middle-distance runner given two-year doping ban, Washington Post, 24 February 2015
  28. IAAF: Positive cases in athletics Sanctioned according to information received by the IAAF as of 20 February 2015.
  29. 2 Saudi athletes banned for doping offenses Archived 5 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Yahoo! Sports, 22 November 2013
  30. Dopingsperre gegen Stéphane Joly , Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, 5 June 2015
  31. Suspended Athletes, antidoping.ch
  32. Ändrade resultatlistor Archived 8 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, friidrott.se 2 October 2014
  33. "Five Russian athletes suspended for doping abuse". The Guardian. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  34. Associated Press: 2 more Russian race walker banned for doping violations, espn.com, 17 March 2015
  35. Russian Athletics Federation: Дисквалификация, 17 March 2015
  36. Dmitriy Rogovitskiy: Russian walker Ruzavin banned for doping, ca.sports.yahoo.com, 17 March 2015
  37. Peter Gambaccini: Liliya Shobukhova Gets Two-Year Doping Ban, Runners World & Running Times, 29 April 2014
  38. WADA: WADA Statement regarding Liliya Shobukhova’s Sanction Archived 6 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine, wada-ama.org, 24 August 2015
  39. Дискваліфікації, uaf.org.ua, 30 April 2014
  40. Court of Arbitration for Sport: Nevin Yanit's suspension increased from 2 years to 3 years, cas-tas.org, 6 March 2015
  41. "Asli Cakir Alptekin again banned". Associated Press. 13 February 2014.
  42. Associated Press: Another Russian race-walker under scrutiny, New Zealand Herald, 17 January 2015
  43. "U.S. Triathlon Athlete, Fretta, Receives Sanction for Anti-Doping Rule Violation". USADA. 9 November 2012. Archived from the original on 12 November 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  44. "Pro Mark Fretta Receives Sanction For Anti-Doping Rule Violation". triathlon.competitor.com. 10 November 2012. Archived from the original on 12 November 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  45. (in French) Anti-dopage. Dvorak : "Le profil biologique, une approche complètement nouvelle" Archived 12 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine, fifa.com (page visited on 11 June 2014).

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