The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the penalty imposed by International Cycling Union (UCI) a Nairo Quintana by using tramadol during Tour de France.
The disqualification of two-time runner-up in the Tour de France points to sixth place in the 2022 race for opioid misuse.
The judges of TAS dismissed the appeal of Quintana and match with International Cycling Union as the case is a medical matter and not a violation of doping rules, it is therefore within the power and jurisdiction of the UCI. “This decision reinforces the validity of the ban on tramadol in the UCI Medical Regulations to protect the health and safety of riders,” the statement said.
Traces of the synthetic painkiller tramadol were found in two dried blood samples taken at runner in Colombia on July 8 and 13.
The UCI announced on August 17 the disqualification of Quintana from the last Tour for his violation of medical regulations and imposed a fine of 5,000 Swiss francs, after which the runner decided to use TAS and resigned from participation in Back to Spain although the regulations allowed him to compete in it.
In case Quintana was one of the first to rely on the dried blood sample collection method (DBS) already World Anti-Doping Agency approved last year. In 2019, the use of tramadol in races because of possible side effects, which include the risk of addiction, dizziness, drowsiness, and loss of attention.
Quintana he finished second in the Tour de France in 2013 and 2015, both times won by Chris Froome. He won the 2014 Giro d’Italia.
Banned by the UCI since 2019
Since March 1, 2019, the UCI has banned the use of tramadol in competition in all disciplines and categories in order to protect the health and safety of cyclists from the side effects of this substance. Samples are collected by the International Testing Agency (ITA) using the Dried Blood Spots (DBS) reference method. Developed by Swiss company DBS Systems, sampling kits are used to perform this minimally invasive test, which involves taking a small amount of blood from the cyclist’s fingertip. The analysis of the samples was carried out independently at the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology of the University of Geneva, using a peer-reviewed method to determine the presence or absence and the amount of tramadol and its two main metabolites. The results will then be sent to the Center for Research and Expertise in Anti-Doping Sciences (RED) at the University of Lausanne for a final independent review. The results are finally sent to the UCI Medical Director, who performs the management results in accordance with the UCI Medical Rules.
Source: La Verdad
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