PARIS: The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced on Friday that it wants the licencing commission to strip the Astana team of their elite status after an investigation into doping.
Astana, whose team includes Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali, were only granted their World Tour licence for 2015 "under probation".
But on Friday, the UCI released a statement saying it wanted the licence withdrawn after finishing a review of an audit on the Astana team that was produced by the Institute of Sport Sciences of the University of Lausanne (ISSUL).
"After careful review of this extensive report, the UCI strongly believes that it contains compelling grounds to refer the matter to the Licence Commission and request the Astana Pro Team licence be withdrawn," the statement said.
The World Tour licence guarantees its holder direct participation in the top races, including the Tour de France, the Paris-Roubaix classic and the Giro d'Italia.
Several Astana riders failed dope tests last season. The UCI agreed to grant the team a licence but only on the condition that it underwent an independent audit.
"The UCI considers that the ISSUL audit has, among other things, revealed a big difference between the policies and structures that the team presented to the Licence Commission in December and the reality on the ground," the UCI statement said.
"In addition, the Italian authorities have provided the UCI with the sections of the Padova investigation which it has been authorized to share. As some evidence concerns Astana Pro Team members, the file has been passed to the Licence Commission as part of this referral.
"For the sake of due process, the UCI is not in a position to comment further on the content of the audit report, nor the Padova investigation, until the Licence Commission has assessed the situation and rendered its decision.
"But this decision to refer the matter to the Licence Commission was reached taking all circumstances and potential consequences into consideration.
Comments
Comments are closed.