UCI president defends the biological passport system
Pat McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), has defended the biological passport system in the fight against doping.
The system, which has been in place since 2008, has come under criticism after the Italian Olympic Committee dropped the UCI's doping charges against Franco Pellizotti on the grounds that the irregularities found in his biological passport were insufficient
as evidence.
On Thursday, 28 October, McQuaid said that the UCI would consult the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) about whether to appeal against Pellizotti in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
"The case doesn’t mean a huge amount for the passport," the Irishman told
Cyclingnews. "First of all you have to understand that it’s just the first stage of proceedings for Pellizotti and it’s far from over. We’ll wait to see the documentation and then we’ll make a decision in conjunction with WADA on whether we go to the CAS
or not."
The UCI president, who has held the post since 2006, added that the body still believes Pellizotti is guilty of doping.
"We would not have gone forward with the process if we didn’t think so. You’ve got to understand the decision to go forward was based on the recommendation of the panel of nine experts. They did not know the profile of the rider they were evaluating."
Denies demise of the biological passport
While some have said the case against Pellizotti could spell the end of the biological passport, McQuaid said that the episode will not affect the UCI's anti-doping strategy in the long-term.
"The judge said there was insufficient probability, but that doesn’t to me seem to question the fundamentals of the passport. But it may be that we need to review how we progress with cases. I’ve never maintained that the passport will end doping. I’ve always
said that it was one strong element in the fight against doping."
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