As expected, he fights back. According to L’Equipe, Nairo Quintana has officially appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against his disqualification from the last Tour de France for two positive tramadol tests during the race. The Colombian, who had initially finished in sixth place in the general classification in Paris, transmitted his file to the institution based in Lausanne which became aware of it on Friday according to his lawyers.
The cyclist formally denies having taken this painkiller, banned in competition by the International Cycling Union (UCI) since 2019. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has not banned tramadol, placed in its monitoring program since 2012, this which allowed the Arkéa-Samsic cyclist to escape suspension for this breach of UCI regulations.
No Tour of Spain to prepare his defense
In mid-August, Nairo Quintana had given up aligning himself with the Tour of Spain to prepare his defense. The latter is based on a fifteen-page document sent to the CAS. The 32-year-old runner, who is currently training in the vicinity of Monaco, will not be fixed immediately. His case was not put on the CAS agenda until the second half of November.
The Colombian had tested positive for tramadol on July 8 and 13, according to the UCI. In 2020, Nairo Quintana and several members of his entourage were heard after the Tour de France by investigators from the Central Office for combating damage to the environment and public health. A preliminary investigation for “administration and prescription to an athlete without medical justification of prohibited substances or methods” and “transportation of prohibited substances” had been opened.
