According to Cyclingnews.com, the Continental team Konya Torku Sekerspor has to be entered into the UCI’s biological passport program in order to participate in the Tour of Turkey next edition, as the organizers of the event are trying to protect their race from further scandal.

“We, as the organizing committee of Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey, has decided not to take (invite) any team that do not have biological passport for the year 2014,” race director Abdurrahman Acikalin said in an email to Cyclingnews.

“This statement is already in our invitation letter to all invited teams. So far, we were informed that Konya Torku Sekerspor has already applied to WADA and UCI in order to get biological passport and follow the procedure, as required.”

Tour of Turkey organizers were forced to make such move after the last two overall classification winners of an event, Ivailo Gebrovski and Mustafa Sayar, tested positive for EPO. While Gabrovski was handed a two-year ban, the Turkish rider is still under the investigation and remains suspended by his team, believing that his positive test was an effect of a French conspiracy.

However, is remains uncertain if Konya Torku will secure a spot on the biological passport program, as the UCI has rejected riders from the Continental circuit in the past.