Antidoping: From health tests to the athlete biological passport.

The athlete biological passport (ABP) was implemented by the International Cycling Union (UCI) in 2008. However, this improvement in the fight against doping was preceded with different milestones since 1996. In this paper, a detailed evolution of the ABP from traditional direct (urine) testing for antidoping purposes is presented. A chronological overview of the ABP including earlier non-disclosed information and contemporary documentation are shown and documented. The strategic development from on-site competition blood testing, called "health tests", to the structure of the ABP is explained in this historical overview which provides information to the antidoping community and general public regarding the beginning of blood doping tests.