Contador is stripped of Tour 2010 & Giro 2011 wins, but can race again this August
UCI president Pat McQuaid has said the decision this morning by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to ban Alberto Contador for two years was not a victory, but a sad day for the sport.
The UCI – with the World Anti-Doping Agency – took the case to CAS to appeal the decision of the Spanish cycling federation not to ban Contador.
The decision of CAS to reject Contador’s argument that drugs were found in his system because he ate contaminated meat, effectively upholds the UCI view of the case.
However, despite the UCI case being successful and securing a ban against Contador, McQuaid said the two-year ban on the rider should not be a source of triumph.
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"This is a sad day for our sport,” he was quoted as saying in a statement released by the UCI.
“Some may think of it as a victory, but that is not at all the case. There are no winners when it comes to the issue of doping: every case, irrespective of its characteristics, is always a case too many."
The UCI statement also contained other comments on behalf of the organisation rather than as quotes directly from Pat McQuaid.
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That portion of the statement said: “In rejecting the defence argument, in particular that the presence of clenbuterol in Alberto Contador's urine sample came from the consumption of contaminated meat, today's ruling confirms the UCI's position.”
“However, the UCI has not derived a sense of satisfaction from the CAS ruling, but rather welcomes the news as the end of a long-running affair that has been extremely painful for cycling.”
Contador tested positive during the 2010 Tour de France. His two-year ban is applied retrospectively, meaning it starts from that period.
It means Contador is now stripped of any results he recorded since his positive test, which obviously includes the 2010 Tour de France.
The record books will now show Andy Schleck, who finished second to Contador in the 2010 Tour de France, was the official winner of the race.
Contador is also stripped of his Giro win from last year, meaning second-placed Michele Scarponi is the now the official 2011 Giro winner.
Contador’s ban will expire on August 6th this year, meaning he will not be able to ride the Tour de France this year, but will be back for races like the Vuelta, World Championships and other major events like the Tour of Lombardy.
His ban will be regarded by many observers as adding to the credibility of the drug testing and punishment procedures in cycling, albeit after a very protracted process.
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