Tour de France - Ullrich guilty of doping
Retired former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich has been found guilty of a doping offence in relation to a blood-doping scandal and has been banned for two years, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has said.
The ruling comes three days after CAS banned another former Tour winner, Spaniard Alberto Contador, for doping.
The Operation Puerto scandal broke in 2006, when Spanish police launched raids that uncovered more than 200 code-named blood bags, some of which were linked to cyclists.
Ullrich, who retired in 2007 after also winning an Olympic gold and silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Games, became the first German to win the Tour de France in 1997.
The rider, a huge sports name in his home country during his prime, also finished second in the world's greatest race on five occasions, three times behind seven-times champion Lance Armstrong.
With his name linked to Operation Puerto, Ullrich was barred from starting the Tour de France in 2006 and was then fired by his T-Mobile team although he repeatedly denied he had links with Eufemiano Fuentes, the doctor at the heart of the investigation.
CAS, however, ruled that, based on the evidence, Ullrich, who had waited for more than five years for a final ruling, had engaged "at least" in blood doping.
The court also annulled all Ullrich's results from 2005 until his retirement.
"Given the volume, consistency and probative value of the evidence...the Panel came to the conclusion that Jan Ullrich engaged at least in blood doping in violation of Article 15.2 of the UCI anti-doping rules," CAS said.
It said there had been "documentary evidence" that Ullrich, now 38, had been in contact with Fuentes and had paid him 80,000 euros for "services that had not been particularised".
"A DNA analysis confirmed Jan Ullrich's genetic profile matched blood bags ready for use for doping purposes found in the possession of Dr Fuentes," CAS said in its decision.
The UCI said it had already annulled Ullrich's results for the period 2005-2007.
"The UCI acknowledges the decision of CAS to impose a suspension of two years on the rider Jan Ullrich starting retroactively on August 2011, following the UCI's appeal. All results achieved by the athlete on or after 1 May 2005 until his retirement, on February 26, 2007, are annulled," it said in a statement.
"The UCI will now examine in detail the reasoning of the CAS award. In the meantime the UCI will not issue any further comments on the matter."
CAS rejected calls for a lifetime ban for Ullrich, saying that despite a 2002 doping offence for amphetamines, this was essentially his first violation. They banned him for two years, starting August 22, 2011, the day of the CAS hearing.
Comment 32 - 51 of 51
@KB
I've tried to point this fact out to numerous people both cycling fans and not. The problem is that although Fuentes from the beginning said that his client list was not restricted to cyclists, no one from another sport was ever identified.
I think this go straight to economics. Compared to tennis and especially football, cycling is a fairly lower middle class sport in terms of wealth. Can you imagine the scandal if Nadal or a few from the La Liga were linked? Think of the loss of income to a team to lose a star footballer. I know it's conspiracy theory 101, but I truly believe that money made the problem go away for the other sports.
cant see the point now in banning the guy.all the damage was done on the TDF mountains when lance gave him the LOOK.
non of these mickey mouse riders will or could ever be as great as god merckx,....... and me lol
Watch out Lance, it's not over yet.
It'll be Armstrong next! Unless he paid his way out of it???
next..
Im gonna register to ride this year...i'll come last but who knows, in the future i might make it to the podium.
2 year ban from what retirement.
agree with Mikeg (nuked out of existing on comment 4). So What? CAS, UCI, and WADA have just proved that there was a doping culture in cycling that meant that all riders competed on a level playing field. And they spent how much and how many years doing it? Congratulations. I want a job getting paid for 5 years to prove something everyone knows happened and suspending retired athletes. Jan was just brimming with confidence about this year's TdF until today's decision, wasn't he!!!
Why is Ullrich's ban dated from the CAS hearing and Alberto's from a year before his CAS hearing?
@ Simon post 13, may I commend you on a well presnted argument.
Also a bit of career advice, stand up comedy would not go amiss if you were to try your hand on that.
I completely agree with you 100 percent.
It is a waste of our time telling us Ulrich is banned for 2 years, when he is a retired cyclist!!!!
WADA must be made up of fookin eejits!!!!!
When you've won 7 TdF's, the sponsorship deals enable the best legal team money can buy
I tell ya wot, Lance must have one hell of a legal team.
Stuff him, live by the sword die by the sword.
Ullrich banned? Finally, my time machine works!!!
@simon
That made me laugh....:-)
..rugby ...look at the size of them...hehe ( I was blaming mcdonalds.:-) little did we know
and snooker players abusing jack daniels +beta blockers...?:-) hehe
Thanks...:-)
what is the reason why lifetime bans are not used???
if you dope in sport, you should be out, period., its the only way to deter folk from using drugs to enhance performance.. This makes professional cycling such a joke even though i love the sport....
This is so funny, are they joking :-)
-" ...he has been banned for two years " ? hehe
#1- I wonder if Ulrich has been competing :-), or is he the "secret" manager of Team Mobile? Ban him from what?????
#2- Do you guys remember when Obama got elected as president of united states? that was 2008. New election will be held this year 2012. Ulrich didnt compete since 2006. So today feb 9 2012 they decide he is guilty ? They couldnt make any decision 2007, 2008 ?
I am Armstrong fan but you have to think about Ulrich as a fellow human being, the reason I am saying this......
Journalists in Germany made Ulrich life a living hell, he wasnt feeling good for a long time. ANDREAS KLODEN got so angry at a journalist some years ago and asked him " DO YOU GUYS WANT ULRICH TO END UP LIKE PANTANI???leave him alone"
So making a decision after 6 yrs, do they want him to go through the same hell again....WHAT IS THE POINT??? He is a retired ex pro cyclist...
German journalists will exploit this news...poor Ulrich+ his family
No 13, you have entertained me, but at the same time you are right. No point in it now, Jan has retired from pro cycling.
wow you cycling fans are thick as '''' of course there are drugs in the sport to enhance performance, becaue we are human and not meant to ride bikes for thousands of miles to win a pint of milk..... they are all guilty of one drug violation or another and it is all inter linked, so who`s next the immortals no hang on the ten year rule saves eddy and soon it will save lance.... even though he is officially no longer under investigation.. so basically no winner of the tour for how many years now. my call would be to ban it from the olympics but hang on britain has two cheats who may win gold.. step up to be tested messr cavendish and wiggins your turn is very soon
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