Spanish rider escapes sanction after test irregularities
MADRID, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Spanish cyclist Inigo Landaluze
will escape sanctions despite testing positive for the male
hormone testosterone after winning the 2005 edition of the
Dauphine Libere because of irregularities in the analysis.
Landaluze's Euskaltel-Euskado team and the Court of
Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Wednesday the UCI's appeal
against the decision of the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) to
acquit the rider had been rejected.
Although CAS dismissed most of the arguments given by the
rider, it did accept there had been an error in the analysis
procedure carried out by a laboratory in France.
"It has been indeed established that the person who
conducted the analysis of the B sample was also involved in the
analysis of the A sample, thus in violation of the international
standard applicable to accredited laboratories," CAS said in a
statement on its Web site (www.tas-cas.org).
"The Panel has considered that the non-compliance with this
standard constituted a procedural flaw serious enough to cause
the invalidation of the anti-doping test."
The CAS statement added that the error had been due to the
heavy workload in the laboratory and the decision did not mean
that Landaluze's name had been cleared.
"Even though Inigo Landaluze benefited from this flawed
procedure to be acquitted, the CAS decision does not constitute
a declaration of his innocence," said the statement.
Landaluze was the surprise winner of the eight-day Dauphine
Libere race in 2005, finishing ahead of favourites such as
Santiago Botero, Levi Leipheimer and Lance Armstrong.
