Image 1 of 3 Newly elected WADA president Australian John Fahey (left) shakes hands with outgoing president Dick Pound (Image credit: AFP) Image 2 of 3 WADA president John Fahey gives an address at a symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland. (Image credit: AFP Photo) Image 3 of 3 Former head of the World Anti-Doping Agency Dick Pound (Image credit: AFP)

The outgoing World Anti-Doping Agency president John Fahey has said that a steroid passport will be introduced by the end of 2013 as the latest weapon in the fight against performance enhancing drugs.

The initiative will complement the biological passport, which was first introduced by the UCI and professional cycling. It measures changes in blood profile and can be used to detect differences from an athlete’s established levels that might indicate doping. A steroid passport would work in a similar way.

“The biological passport is a key component against doping and has been recognized by the courts as evidence,” Fahey said while speaking at the International Olympic Committee’s annual meeting in Buenos Aires at the weekend.

Four-year bans

Fahey is coming to the end of his four-year term as WADA president. He also said that WADA is likely to double the ban for first-time doping offenders from two to four years at its congress in Johannesburg in November.

“The athletes have demanded a tougher approach to cheats and instead of the current two-year ban, the penalty will be doubled for first offenders,” Fahey said.

Officials at the Johannesburg meeting also will consider tighter regulation for coaches, trainers and sports scientists associated with athletes, Fahey added.



