FIFA considers biological passports

FIFA will work with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to step up the pressure on drug cheats in the sport, possibly with cycling-style biological passports. "This is a strategy which could be extremely beneficial in the next few years," WADA...

FIFA will work with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to step up the pressure on drug cheats in the sport, possibly with cycling-style biological passports.

"This is a strategy which could be extremely beneficial in the next few years," WADA president John Fahey told reporters after meeting his opposite number Sepp Blatter at FIFA headquarters yesterday.

"We welcome this partnership and we are happy that such an important sport is prepared to work with us. But it will not necessarily bring results straight away."

Since January 2008, the International Cycling Union (UCI) has collected blood samples from all professional riders to create a medical profile that would be compared with data registered in anti-doping tests.

"This is a long-term project and it's worthwhile exploring," said FIFA chief medical officer Jiri Dvorak, adding that FIFA carried out 33,000 doping tests each year.

"Of these, 0.3 per cent test positive and these are mostly with social drugs such as marijuana and cocaine," said Dvorak.

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