New delay in Contador verdict
A
verdict on three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador’s positive
dope test is set to be pushed back to late January, which would rule
him out of the first major race of the season in Australia. The
governing UCI said in a statement that the Spanish Federation
responsible for the case had sought the advice of its legal and
anti-doping departments. The new deadline for the UCI to give the
Spanish authorities their opinion is January 24, with further time
extensions possible. The Tour Down Under starts on January 18.
Three-time tour
winner Contador, one of only five men with victories in all three grand
tours (France, Italy and Spain), has been provisionally suspended since
last August and faces a potential ban of up to two years. The Spaniard
has repeatedly protested his innocence, blaming contaminated meat for
the traces of the banned stimulant clenbuterol found in his urine
sample during last year’s Tour de France which he went on to win.
The 28-year-old has
also threatened to quit cycling if he was suspended. Spanish Federation
President Juan Carlos Castano said: “It’s absolutely vital that we draw
in and use all the expert opinions we can.
“We always want to be 100 per cent sure our verdict is the right one.
“Our disciplinary commission is made up of lawyers, they’re not
medical experts.” The case is widely expected to go to the Court of
Arbitration for Sport CAS after the RFEC publishes its initial verdict.
Leave a Reply