The International Cycling Union (UCI) ruled on the case of Miguel Angel Lopez and suspended him for four years. The verdict of the UCI anti-doping tribunal, found evidence that the Colombian used the hormonal agent Menotropin during the Giro d’Italia 2022 and that he had it in his possession. The Colombian rider’s suspension will expire on July 24, 2027.
The UCI anti-doping tribunal found Lopez guilty of an anti-doping rule violation, according to an International Cycling Union press release. During the 2022 Giro, the boyacense rider would have consumed and possessed the substance Menotropin. He was therefore suspended, retroactively, from July 25, 2023 to July 24, 2027.
Lopez, 30, a Movistar cyclist and active with Astana Qazaqstan in 2022, has one month to appeal to the TAS sports tribunal against the four-year suspension imposed by the UCI.
UCI COMMUNIQUÉ
The International Cycling Union (UCI) informs that the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal has ruled against Colombian cyclist Miguel Angel Lopez.
The Tribunal has found Miguel Angel Lopez guilty of an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) for use and possession of a prohibited substance (Menotropin)*, concomitant with the 2022 Giro d’Italia, and has imposed a four-year suspension on the rider.
In accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the suspension period began on July 25, 2023 and will remain in force until July 24, 2027.
We recall that the disciplinary procedure was initiated following an investigation carried out by the International Testing Agency (ITA) on the basis of evidence obtained from the Spanish Guardia Civil and the Spanish Anti-Doping Agency (CELAD) in the so-called “Ilex” Operation on Dr. Marcos Maynar. The UCI is grateful for this valuable collaboration.
Furthermore, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Tribunal, the decision will be published on the UCI website. The decision may be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within one month.
The UCI will not comment further on the matter.
*Menotropin is a prohibited substance of class S2.2 (peptide hormones and their releasing factors) on the Prohibited List maintained by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and adopted by the UCI.
The UCI delegated the operational activities of its anti-doping program to the International Testing Agency (ITA) in January 2021. Since then, cycling’s clean sport efforts have been led by the ITA Cycling Unit, which is specifically dedicated to all cycling disciplines. The UCI and the ITA are linked by a service agreement that ensures that the ITA operates independently.
Reaction of Superman Lopez: I will appeal the decision of the UCI
After the International Cycling Union (UCI) suspended the Colombian cyclist Miguel Angel ‘Superman’ Lopez for 4 years, the cyclist from Boyacá made a statement on the matter.
“Today I have been informed of the decision of the UCI and the sanction of suspension for four years. I deeply disagree with it, understanding that it dissociates itself from the previous decisions made by the Spanish courts and the CAS itself,” said the Colombian cyclist in a statement.
The Colombian rider will defend his innocence and announced that he will appeal the UCI’s decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The Colombian considered the sanction as unjustified since he says he did not commit any infraction.
“It is an infraction based on the interpretation of conversations that were biased and manipulated. I understand that the infraction is nonexistent and the sanction unjustified. I will appeal immediately and defend my innocence as I have always done, I am confident of returning to the competitive world of cycling,” concluded Lopez.
Source: Revista Mundo Ciclístico y www.uci.ch