![]() The ABP isn’t just used to sanction athletes. The result came back positive, and Katie accepted a 4-year ban. Using information from the ABP, the United States Anti-Doping Agency rescreened the sample using a specialist, substance-specific test known as Carbon Isotope Ratio testing. US cyclo-cross athlete Katie Compton’s out-of-competition urine test in September 2020 came back negative for substances, but her ABP flagged an abnormality. It’s also a useful tool for investigations, helping to guide decisions around testing. The ABP’s value isn’t just in its ability to directly detect doping. Mr Wanjiru received a 4-year ban for ‘Use of a prohibited substance or method’. Not a positive test, but definitive biological evidence that doping has occurred. In Daniel’s case, the experts were unanimous in their belief that the spike in haemoglobin “cannot be explained by any other cause than blood manipulation”. They examine the anonymized data and conclude – independently – whether or not the evidence points to doping, or whether there innocent explanations. At DFSNZ, our Science Manager reviews any abnormal results and then, if justified, they are examined by three independent experts known as the Expert Panel. Interpreting the evidence is left to humans. Though the ABP can make predictions and flag abnormalities with remarkable accuracy, it doesn’t give explanations. ![]() The ABP detected the spike and flagged the results as abnormal. His 15 th sample was again within normal limits. His 14 th sample showed an unusual increase in haemoglobin concentration, amongst other indicators. Not comparing Daniel to another athlete, or to generic ‘norms’, but comparing Daniel to himself.ĭaniel’s 13 th sample was within normal parameters. But as more test results were added, the algorithm’s predictions improved and Daniel’s ABP profile became specific and unique to his biology. When Daniel first joined the ABP programme, his landscape (known as his ABP profile) was based on norms for his gender, age, ethnicity, and other differentiators. When a sample is fed into the ABP, its algorithm evaluates it, comparing it to all the previous results for that athlete, and makes predictions about what the athlete’s biological landscape should look like in the future. It’s aim, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) explains, is to “ monitor selected biological variables over time that indirectly reveal the effects of doping rather than attempting to detect the doping substance itself”. It has two modules: the steroidal module uses urine samples to monitor the body’s natural steroid production the haematological module uses blood samples to monitor oxygen transportation in the blood. The Athlete Biological Passport is a digital record with an algorithm that records and evaluates an athlete’s test results over time. So what exactly is the Athlete Biological Passport? Instead, it was the biological evidence that doping had taken place, and was so convincing that a panel of experts unanimously concluded that blood doping was highly likely to have taken place. ![]() The high level of haemoglobin they found wasn’t a positive test – after all, haemoglobin isn’t a prohibited substance. The ABP flagged an abnormality in Daniel’s 14 th blood sample by comparing it to his previous results over time. ![]() In the case of marathon runner Daniel Wanjiru, it was his Athlete Biological Passport, or ABP. How does an athlete who has never tested positive for a banned substance get a 4-year ban for Presence or use of a banned substance or method?
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