MONACO (AP) — A Portuguese long-distance runner has become the first track and field athlete suspended for doping based on the “biological passport” program.
The IAAF says 38-year-old Helder Ornelas has been banned for four years by the Portuguese federation after being found guilty of doping.
He was sanctioned based on a series of blood test results collected by the International Association of Athletics Federations between December 2008 and November 2010.
The IAAF said it’s the first time a doping case was decided based on the passport program, which monitors an athlete’s blood profile over time to check for evidence of performance-enhancing drugs.
