Latest update: 26/01/2011 

- cycling - doping


Contador banned for doping, stripped of Tour de France title

The Spanish cycling federation have stripped three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador of his title and banned him for a year for failing a dope test in the 2010 race. Contador said he failed the test after eating contaminated meat.

By Sarah Dryhurst (video)
News Wires (text)
 

REUTERS - The Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) has decided to suspend Tour de France champion Alberto Contador for one year over his failed doping test in the 2010 race, El Pais reported on Wednesday.

Triumphant Contador racing on the Champs Elysees
Alberto Contador (yellow jersey) racing on the Champs Elysées in central Paris (photo AFP)

The preliminary decision by the competition committee was communicated to Contador at midday local time and the Spaniard has 10 days to appeal before a final decision is made, said the newspaper without identifying the source of its information.

 
The committee also decided to strip Contador of the 2010 Tour title, added El Pais.
 
Contador's spokesman and the RFEC could not immediately be reached for comment.
 
A spokesman for cycling's world governing body (UCI) was unable to confirm the RFEC decision and said his organisation would be in touch with the Spanish federation on Thursday.
 
Contador, who has been provisionally suspended since August, won the Tour last year for a third time but it later emerged he had tested positive for the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol during the race.
 

He has denied deliberate wrongdoing, saying the failed test was due to contaminated meat.

 
Contador may also be able to take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

 

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Banned Contador

Strange, nearly everyone else who gets found out gets banned for 2 years?? Strange that only Contador had a piece of 'contaminated' Spanish beef, no doubt many others in the world of sport have had Spanish beef, had drug tests and been found to produce a positive test?? Can't remember seeing anyone else being banned for eating Spanish beef though....

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