CAS today ruled a joint declaration alongside the UCI and the WADA to ban Valverde for two years. Valverde was already banned from riding in Italy after the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) matched his DNA to samples of blood seized during the Operation Puerto raids. This new worldwide sanction will see Valverde out of racing until January 2012.
The UCI had the capability to convert Valverde’s Italian ban to a worldwide ban, coming under mounting pressure to do so this season as the rider continued to deny all doping accusations leveled at him as he continued to figure in major events. As a result of his Italian ban in 2009, Valverde was unable to ride that years Tour de France as it made a brief excursion into the country.
In today’s statement the UCI said, “Accordingly, the CAS has imposed a two-year ban on Alejandro Valverde starting on 1 January 2010 but has denied the request of the UCI and WADA that results obtained by the athlete prior to the beginning of the suspension be annulled.”
Therefore, all of Valverde’s results from this season stand as fair results, which include overall victories in the Tour de Romandie and Tour Méditerranéen. The fact that the Valverde episode has hung in the spotlight for so long only makes today’s news more disrupting for our sport, but it’s another rider removed from the peleton who has failed to abide by the anti-doping rules.
It’s ironic the UCI issue two press releases today, one stating that Valverde is currently the number one rider in the world, the other stating his two year sanction. Being the number one rider in the world brings with it responsibility and respect and today he is ranked by many fans as nothing but a cheat with a total disregard for the sport he is part of.
One must ask why it has taken so long to resolve this situation? It has made a mockery of the current system and unfortunately there are no winners here. Valverde has continued to race and with every result he has acquired, has made the system appear foolish and stolen victories from deserving riders.
One can only feel for the guys who have finished runner up to Valverde this year, who were denied the victory they so deserved.
Updated:
The World Anti-Doping Agency have issued the following statement:
“WADA is pleased that this matter is now resolved and that CAS ruled in favour of WADA and the International Cycling Union (UCI).
This decision confirms that the scientific and forensic evidence gathered by anti-doping organizations, including information from law enforcement, shows that the athlete committed an anti-doping rule violation.
WADA will continue to use its independent right of appeal to CAS whenever appropriate in order to ensure that such cases are fully scrutinized by CAS to determine appropriate sanctions under the World Anti-Doping Code.”
Comments
Laurens van Rooijen 31.05.2010 at 09:40pm
In theory, there's two options as to whether Valverde's victories in 2010 are going to get nullified: a) The suspension starts as per 1st January 2010 and ends as per 31st December 2011 - then the results have to be nullified. b) The suspension starts as per today, 31st May 2010. As he gets the full two years (rightfully so), he should be suspended until 30th May 2012, but he can keep his victories. Since Valverde is suspended until 31st December 2011, option b) nas to be eliminated. So scratch that name of the result sheets, please.
Joakim Faiss 31.05.2010 at 08:32pm
"results obtained by the athlete prior to the beginning of the suspension be annulled." That means before 2010. And UCI's press release says: "he has been disqualified from all competitions in which he has competed since the beginning of the year and all points allocated to him have been removed. Mr Valverde must also return all prizes received."
Gert Van Dertan 31.05.2010 at 07:29pm
We cant 'suspect' , guess or speculate- he was racing clean. He was blood doping- cheating, regardless of what he was doing in the interim he was cheating his fellow riders and deserves the ban. The CAS are at fault here for taking so long sorting it out.
Richard Nicholls 31.05.2010 at 07:00pm
I think that the last paragraph is a little unfair here. He hadn't been convicted of doping by the UCI and his testing this year has been clean. I suspect that he has raced clean since the doping was discovered and as such his results this year have been down to his skill and not down to drugs. He should not be judged by anyone other than the UCI and they have said that his victories stand - which means two things: 1. They considered him clean while winning them 2. He was not guilty until the tribunal by the UCI - not guilty until proven which was today.
BikePure 31.05.2010 at 05:57pm
Number 1 doper. The CAS dragged this affair out over 2 years. Not the UCI's fault, but can bikepure look into how to streamline the system of appeal. Riders need a cajnce to state their case bit cycling just looks silly with their biggest druggie winning.
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