Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde has been charged with being involved in Spain’s Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) said on Wednesday.
CONI’s anti-doping prosecutor has called for a two-year ban but any suspension agreed by an Italian anti-doping tribunal is likely to only take effect inside Italy.
The Spanish cycling federation or the International Cycling Union (UCI), the world governing body, would have to bring their own charges for a ban to be worldwide.
But UCI president Pat McQuaid told Reuters: “This is for the moment an Italian affair under Italian law… UCI will have to wait until the process finishes to see how we can proceed.â€
The CONI statement read: “The CONI prosecutor has charged the Spanish cyclist Valverde. A two-year ban is requested . Details