Filed under: Other Sports, Cycling
With an impeccable sense of bad timing, and a seemingly endless ability to shoot itself in the foot, the world of professional cycling has been thrown into chaos this week.Alberto Contador - winner of the 2010 Tour de France, runaway leader of the current Giro d'Italia and hot favourite for the 2011 Tour - failed a drugs test on last year's Tour after clenbuterol was found in his system.
The 28-year-old Spaniard pleaded his innocence and claimed he had ingested the drug through tainted beef imported from his homeland, a claim that was taken into account when he was handed a one-year suspension, half the recommended punishment.
However, the Spanish Cycling Federation, which ultimately has to hand down punishments on its member riders, accepted his excuse and refused to suspend their national hero, clearing him to ride this summer.
Not surprisingly, world-governing body the UCI and the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) appealed that decision and, while that freed Contador to continue with his 2011 season, the hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was due to be held before this year's Tour de France starts on July 2.
However, CAS announced this week that they had postponed the hearing - scheduled for June 6 in Switzerland - and, while no new date has been announced, it is understood it will now be after the 2011 Tour.
Initial reports from Spain claimed the delay was because the Spanish Federation needed more time to submit legal documents to the hearing - a move which cynics will point out conveniently allows their star man to defend the Tour de France title he may - or may not - have won last year.
In keeping with many other sports, cycling protocol means that, should the UCI and WADA succeed in their appeal, any races won by Contador while he should technically have been banned will be stripped from him.
And, given his imperious form at the moment, that leaves the sport facing the real prospect of having to rewrite the history books in July should Contador continue in such a fashion. The 2010 Tour de France, 2011 Giro and 2011 Tour could all find themselves with new winners if the CAS decision goes against the rider.
And, given the p.r. problems that cycling currently has when it comes to drug issues - not least with the on-going federal investigation into Lance Armstrong in the USA - that is a farcial state of affairs that can only further harm the sport.
"I think it's important to tell the truth. When someone talks about it, you can see it on someone's face if someone is guilty or not," said Contador from Italy where he is about to win the Giro by a large margin. "I'm optmistic because when the truth is on your side you can stay serene - so I'm very optimistic."
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