Valverde v CONI/UCI/WADA

Hearing concluded.

The case of the Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde was heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne on 12, 13 and 14 January 2010. Mr Valverde was appealing against the decision of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) of 11 May 2009 in which he was found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation and suspended from competition in Italy for a period of two years. Valverde’s appeal was initially directed only against the CONI, but at a later stage, the CONI requested that the CAS admit the participation of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in the proceedings. Such request was accepted by the CAS.

The case was heard by a panel of CAS arbitrators: Mr Romano F. Subiotto QC, United Kingdom (President), Professor Ulrich Haas, Germany, and Mr Ruggero Stincardini, Italy.

The legal representatives of Mr Valverde, the CONI, UCI and WADA were present at the hearing. Mr Valverde did not attend the hearing in person but was heard by the CAS panel by telephone conference. During the hearing, the Panel informed the parties of a preliminary decision: the Panel considered that the requests filed by UCI and WADA to suspend Alejandro Valverde world-wide for a period of two years could not be entertained by the CAS given that they were outside the scope of the present arbitration procedure (validity or not of the suspension of Valverde on Italian soil).

A final decision in this matter is not expected before March 2010.

For further information related to the CAS activity and procedures in general, please contact either Mr Matthieu Reeb, CAS Secretary General, or Ms Katy Hogg, Media Assistant. Château de Béthusy, Avenue de Beaumont 2, 1012 Lausanne, Switzerland. Tel: (41 21) 613 50 00; fax: (41 21) 613 50 01, or consult the CAS website: www.tas-cas.org