Tour de France Champion Contador Could Be Banned from Depending Title

Filed in archive Biking on January 17, 2008

Just when you thought the doping/steroids news was slowly ending, today, Yahoo! Sports is reporting that 2007 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador could be banned from depending his yellow jersey. This news comes on the heels of the Operation Puerto doping scandal and his alleged involvement. CONI wants to bar all riders.

"After prosecuting and sanctioning Italian athletes, we have turned our focus to the two (Spanish) doctors (Eufemiano) Fuentes and (Merino) Batres, and about 50 foreign athletes that we know frequented their medical practices and probably used banned substances," CONI's chief anti-doping prosecutor Ettore Torri said Monday in an interview with RAI state TV.

Contador and Valverde have denied involvement in Operation Puerto.

"We need to obtain documentation from Spanish judicial authorities and then we will hold hearings with the these athletes and other people labeled as witnesses," Torri said.

Using new rules that allows it to investigate athletes and sports officials who are not licensed in Italy, Torri said he plans to "ban anyone who broke the rules from practicing sports in Italy."

"It's really unfair that our athletes were (punished) and can't participate while other well-known athletes - Spanish and of other nationalities - like Contador and Valverde, remain fully active and even participated in the world championships," Torri added. "We stopped (Giro d'Italia champion Danilo) Di Luca on the eve of the worlds, and it was a decision we really struggled with but the right one."