The weight of the law fell on Miguel Ángel López: keys to his case after UCI sanction for doping

“The Court has found Miguel Ángel López guilty of an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) for use and possession of a prohibited substance (menotropin), concomitantly with the 2022 Giro d’Italia, and has imposed a four-year suspension on the rider. ”.

The UCI considered sufficient the evidence obtained in the investigation carried out by the International Testing Agency (ITA) and collected by the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard of Spain and the Spanish Anti-Doping Agency (Celad) that was uncovered after an investigation called operation Ilex against Dr. Marcos Maynar, who is accused of drug trafficking in Spain.

Almost two years later comes a decision that is not only a sure blow for Colombian cycling, but also for international cycling. It was expected that the UCI’s decision would come soon, but neither Miguel Ángel López, nor his family nor his entourage, much less Team Medellín (with whom he raced in 2023 after being fired from Astana and before being permanently suspended) provisional by the UCI) expected a 4-year sanction, after seeing a light in their case, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport had ruled in their favor in the lawsuit against their former team, Astana. Although he could have received up to eight or twelve years of punishment.

In his defense, and minutes after being notified by the UCI, the man from Boyacá disagreed with the decision and urged “to maintain the existence of an infraction based on the interpretation of conversations that were biased and manipulated.”

And he added: “I understand that the infraction is non-existent and the sanction is unjustified. I will immediately appeal to the UCI and defend my innocence as I have always done, I am confident of returning to the competitive world of cycling. “I thank the people who support me, all the positive messages from the fans and the continued support of my team and my family.”

In its official statement, the UCI did not clarify whether there is an adverse test carried out on Miguel Ángel López in the 2022 Giro d’Italia, it is only based on the documents collected in the Ilex operation in which the Colombian was implicated in a doping plot. , but his legal status went from being accused to witness, after the Investigative Court 3 of Cáceres, in Extremadura (Spain) did not find sufficient evidence to charge him with the crime of illegal drug trafficking.

After said operation against Dr. Marcos Maynar, leader of the operation, and the former Astana masseuse Vicente Belda Vicedo, the Spanish Civil Guard understands that the Colombian did use menotropin before the start of the Giro d’Italia in the city of Budapest (Hungary). ) and violated the anti-doping rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Maynar sent said substance to Hungary with a complete plan for its use, including injections, the investigation reveals. In addition, the doctor sent a series of instructions from Cáceres to Belda García, who allegedly distributed them and who in the collected conversations were called by key names such as “coconut oil” and “testis.”

The Colombian, after injecting said prohibited substance, caused physical damage and side effects, since he would not have assimilated the menotropin well.

The civil Guard He explains that it caused inflammation in his thighs. That problem and a series of aches and pains forced him to abruptly withdraw from the Giro d’Italia in the fourth stage, citing physical problems after a fall.

After the accusation made on July 21, 2022, López “flatly denied having a relationship or participation in a criminal act.”

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In December 2022, the Astana team announced the termination of the boyacense and brought to the UCI new information collected by the squad itself led by Alexandre Vinoukourov, who speaks of an alleged reception and possible injection of menotropin. Although in May, the CAS agreed with López and rejected the reasons of the Kazakh team, stating that “it did not find sufficient evidence to prove that Miguel Ángel López has used prohibited substances.” The case ended in Astana having to pay compensation to the Colombian after the “unjustified” dismissal.

Now the only option left for the Colombian is to take his case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) to clear his name and appeal the harsh 4-year sanction, he has until June 29 (when the maximum deadline expires). to file the appeal) and begin a very long and expensive defense process that could take several months, even years; remembering a similar case, when María Luisa Calle appeared before said court to prove her innocence after being accused and sentenced for doping, and it took her 3 years to recover her bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.