Nairo Quintana has not been part of a stage race for a year and two months. He assures that he has the desire and preparation to continue in the competition, but to this day he does not have a defined contract with a team, a result of the disqualification from the 2022 Tour de France due to the use of the substance tramadol.
The cyclist from Boyacá was found to have this medicine used for pain in two blood tests carried out in the Tour, so the International Cycling Union (UCI) applied the regulations and stripped him of the sixth place he occupied in the general classification, the prizes he obtained and the points that his team, Arkea-Samic, won in the event.
The use of tramadol in competition is prohibited by UCI regulations, but it is not listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), so it is not considered a violation of fair play rules.
Since the day he was notified of his disqualification from the Tour, Nairo has experienced an ordeal. He appealed the UCI’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who denied the appeal and confirmed the sanction.
Roger Legeay, president of the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC), told EL TIEMPO at the beginning of this year that the cyclist had violated a rule and that he had not “respected the rules.” In addition, he denied that there was a veto towards the runner.
Quintana has been placed in several teams around the world, but the information falls like a house of cards once the information is known. The doors in the World Tour, the highest category of cycling, have been closed to him, but he insists on continuing his career and is looking for an opportunity.
EL TIEMPO spoke with Benjamin Cohen, president of the International Testing Agency (ITA), non-profit entity that fights for clean sport.
Cohen, an authoritative voice on doping issues, referred to the cases of Quintana and Miguel Ángel López, who is provisionally suspended by the UCI for the Spanish doping scheme ‘Operation Ilex’.
“In the case of Nairo with tramadol, as of January 1, 2024, he will enter the official Wada list and the punishment will be for all sports. Until now, cycling was the only one in the world that had it prohibited in its internal medical regulations, but not in the doping regulations. So what we do is collect the samples and analyze them.”
This is the situation of Nairo Quintana in the World Tour
What concept do you have of Nairo’s problem?
“In the case of Quintana there was a positive for tramadol and the UCI decided to impose the consequences for Quintana (sanctions). Cycling in a certain way was the pioneer and Nairo’s case set a kind of precedent.”
He did not test positive, but he is treated as if he had…
“For me, as a lawyer, I believe that if there is a suspension, you serve it and compete again. Of course, if it were a recidivism it would be seen… but my personal opinion is that people can make mistakes, serve their sanction and compete again.”
Is that the main consequence for not getting equipment?
“The truth is I was not aware that the teams do not want to hire Quintana, it is perhaps a question that should be asked… if it is due to pressure from the sponsors, there is a risk that he will reoffend again… but he is Of course, you are serving a sanction and you must be able to compete again.”
What is the ITA and what work do they do?
“We are an organization that fights against doping in international sport. And in that sense, our mission is to do it with total independence, without any interest or interference from governments or sports organizations. We have been doing this for five years.”
What is the relationship you have with the World Anti-Doping Agency?
“About 7 years ago, the ITA was born from the IOC and the IOC asked Wada to create the ITA. Wada is the global regulator and its mission is to set the rules. And we take care of the operation.”
The Superman López case requires more caution
On July 25, the International Cycling Union (UCI) reported that Colombian cyclist Miguel Ángel ‘Supermán’ López was provisionally suspended for a possible violation of doping regulations.
UCI warned that it made the decision due to “an investigation carried out by the International Testing Agency (ITA), which includes evidence obtained from the Spanish police authorities (Guardia Civil) and the Spanish Anti-Doping Organization (Celad) during the investigation of Dr. Marcos Maynar”, visible head of ‘Operation Ilex’, a network for the use and distribution of drugs banned in Europe. Cohen was cautious when talking about the López issue, because the investigation has not ended.
What can you tell us about the topic López?
“I could speak something very general because I don’t know the details, we have a team in charge of that and we continue in that work. The advantage is that we have an interdisciplinary team that works together and intelligently. “I can’t say anything more.”
How is the case being handled?
“The testing team and the medical area work hand in hand and identify the medical indications that allow the cases to advance and begin the investigation. It is not a thing for just one athlete, it is what is done with all athletes. If there is something to look at, to analyze, to delve into, then we proceed, and that was what was done with López.”
Lisandro Rengifo
Editor of EL TIEMPO
@LisandroAbel
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