The TV channel France 2 broadcast a programme on their show Stade 2 on Sunday evening which demonstrates how the UCI Biological Passport can be circumvented through the use of micro-dosing of EPO, HGH, blood transfusions and corticosteroids. The experiment was run with the agreement of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).
The study was undertaken by the organisation Athletes for Transparency, under the guidance of Pierre Sallet. The experiment involved the doping of eight athletes under strict supervision for 29 days.
The athletes each underwent both a VO2 max test, a time-trial on a stationary bike and a 3000m run, prior to commencing the doping programme. Another test followed on from the 29 days of micro-dosing.
There were significant improvements recorded from the second tests, with an average increase in VO2 max of 6.1% and a 2.1% improvement in the time-trial test. There was an average improvement of 2.8% for the 3,000m run.
The worrying outcome was that the blood profiles for each of the athletes would not have raised alarms, as they fell within the parameters of the biological passport.
