Contador Guilty of Doping Offence

[Wycombe Fox]

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has banned Alberto Contador for two years for doping, according to the Spanish Cycling Federation.

He has been stripped of his 2010 Tour de France victory and, with his suspension running until 6 August this year, will miss the 2012 Tour.

The Spaniard was found guilty of doping after testing positive for clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour.

He has maintained that the failure resulted from eating contaminated meat.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) regards clenbuterol - a fat-burning and muscle-building supplement - as a zero-tolerance drug, and, together with world cycling governing body UCI, appealed against the decision.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/16905217

[adam1]

Yet he was still allowed to participate in the 2011 tour. They say that they want to clean cycling up and yet they allow him to compete? Joke.

[ajthefox]

I'm assuming that since the WADA and UCI have said it's a zero tolerance drug, that their appeal is because they think he should be banned for life or at least that this is not a fitting punishment?

[Wycombe Fox]

I'm assuming that since the WADA and UCI have said it's a zero tolerance drug, that their appeal is because they think he should be banned for life or at least that this is not a fitting punishment?

It wasn't a very well written report by the BBC.

Originally Contador was cleared by the Spanish Cycling Federation so the WADA and UCI appealed against that decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

[Mack]

I thought drugs in cycling was standard practice.

[Amin]

So does that make Schleck the 2010 Tour de France winner?

[SpanishFanLCFC]

The Court of Arbitration for Sport recogniced that Contador has been banned without evidences, because the quantity of clembuterol that has been found in Contador's blood doesn't affect to his performance or efficiency (I don't know the correct word for "rendimiento" in spanish), the quantity was 0.000006 more or less, here you have the news of the Spanish press http://www.marca.com/2012/02/06/ciclismo/1328525550.html?a=c48b838333a070679cdb5f556b998231&t=1328562501

[Amin]

No celebrating for Schleck

http://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/15264/7492206/No-celebrating-for-Schleck

Andy Schleck insists he will take no satisfaction from being awarded the 2010 Tour de France in the wake of Alberto Contador's ban.

Contador has been given a retrospective two-year suspension and was stripped of his 2010 Tour title after the Court of Arbitration for Sport passed a ruling on his long-running doping case on Monday.

With the Spaniard, who tested positive for clenbuterol during the race, now disqualified, second-place Schleck is set to be promoted into top spot.

But the Luxembourger says he believed Contador was innocent and will not consider himself a true winner of the Tour until he does it out on the road.

"There is no reason to be happy now," the 26-year-old said.

"First of all I feel sad for Alberto. I always believed in his innocence. This is just a very sad day for cycling.

"The only positive news is that there is a verdict after 566 days of uncertainty. We can finally move on. I trust that the CAS judges took all things into consideration after reading a 4,000-page file.

Lost

"If now I am declared overall winner of the 2010 Tour de France it will not make me happy. I battled with Contador in that race and I lost.

"My goal is to win the Tour de France in a sporting way, being the best of all competitors, not in court. If I succeed this year, I will consider it as my first Tour victory."

Contador has also been disqualified from the 2011 Giro d'Italia, a race he won by over six minutes, with that victory now due to be inherited by Michele Scarponi.

Scarponi said: "Together with my team, Lampre-ISD, I acknowledge the decision by the CAS in the Contador case.

"I'm very sorry for Alberto. This decision doesn't change the value of the results I obtained and my upcoming goals."

Cycling legend Eddy Merckx was also saddened by the news of the suspension, pointing out that Contador only had trace levels of the banned substance in his system.

"I am disgusted. I would like other sports to go and try to find minute traces of clenbuterol. It's another huge blow to cycling," Merckx said.

[Tielemans63]

Did anyone else think Alberto C#%^ador would be a perfect headline or was that just me?

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Jan Ulrich just got done for doping as well, stripped of his 3rd place finish in 2005.