Valjavec banned

Biological passports were introduced by the International Cycling Union in 2008 to track any blood changes in riders against an original profile.

"The Court of Arbitration for Sport has ruled on the appeal of the International Cycling Union against the decision of the Senate of the Olympic Committee of Slovenia regarding the Slovenian cyclist Tadej Valjavec," CAS said in a statement.

"The CAS has set aside the decision of the OCS to exonerate the athlete from any doping offence and has imposed a two-year ban on him starting on 20 January 2011.

"The CAS found that anti-doping tests performed in April and August 2009 revealed abnormalities in the context of the athlete's biological passport to a degree which was entirely consistent with blood manipulation."

Last month, CAS over-ruled the Italian National Committee's decision to clear Franco Pellizotti in a similar case.

"The CAS has therefore confirmed the reliability of the indirect method of detection based on the blood profile of athletes," it said.

Valjavec, 34, a former AG2R rider, has top 10 finishes in the Tour de France (2008) and the Giro d'Italia (2004 and 2009).