PARIS, June 13, 2008 (AFP) – The International Cycling Union (UCI) on Friday said the biological passport system to check cyclists’ blood-levels
will be formally introduced into its anti-doping rulebook next season.

The system, which records and charts blood and urine levels, is seen as a new and effective weapon in the fight against doping.

The decision was taken at a UCI Management Committee meeting in Denmark.

“The Management Committee decided to incorporate the biological passport officially into the Anti-Doping Rules,” a UCI statement said Friday.

“Riders may now be disciplined under the Anti-Doping Rules on the basis of the biological passport.”

The biological passport is part of UCI’s battle against doping.

In March it set up an anti-doping foundation with an annual budget of five million euros in a bid to rid the under-fire sport of cheats.