Nairo Quintana: forceful pronouncement of the UCI after decision of the TAS

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) dismissed this Thursday the appeal of the Colombian cyclist Nairo Quintana against the sanction imposed by the International Cycling Union (UCI)which disqualified him from the last Tour de France for violating his medical regulations.

With that decision, the UCI made a striking statement.

(Nairo counterattacks: Nairo Quintana pronounces himself, ‘with sadness and pride’, due to a strong ruling by the TAS).

Nairo’s appeal dismissed

The UCI made this decision after analyzes of two blood samples provided by the cyclist on July 8 and 13 during the 2022 Tour de France revealed the presence of tramadol and its two main metabolites.

Tramadol is an analgesic banned by the UCI since March 1, 2019 to protect the health and safety of cyclists from the side effects of this substance, but it is not on the list of prohibited substances of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). ).

After the hearing of the case held on October 12, the CAS panel ruled that the UCI’s in-competition ban on tramadol was due to medical reasons and not doping reasons and, therefore, is within the powers and jurisdiction of the body.

The panel also concluded that the scientific evidence confirms that Nairo Quintana’s samples contained both tramadol and its two metabolites and on this basis determined that the contested decision should be upheld, thus dismissing the cyclist’s appeal.

The UCI announced on August 17 the disqualification of Quintana from the last Tour, in which he finished sixth, for violating his medical regulations and imposed a fine of 5,000 Swiss francs, after which the runner decided to resort to the TAS and resigned from participating in the Vuelta a España although the regulations allowed him to compete in it.

Now, the UCI has ruled.

(You can read: Nairo Quintana, against the ropes: former head of Arkea is dispatched for tramadol).

UCI Celebration

“The International Cycling Union (UCI) welcomes lToday’s decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirming the disqualification of Colombian cyclist Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas from the 2022 Tour de France for violating the prohibition on the use of tramadol in competition2, the entity said in a statement.

“This decision reinforces the validity of the ban on tramadol in the UCI Medical Regulations to protect the health and safety of riders,” he added.

“The UCI will not comment further on this matter”he bluntly concluded.

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*With EFE

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