The Contador Controversy

For some reason, it was only announced during September of 2010, during the International Cycling Union (UCI) Road World Championships, that Alberto Contador had tested positive to a small amount of clenbuterol in his bloodstream on the second rest day of the 2010 Tour de France. Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator, meaning it makes breathing easier and thus increases the amount of oxygen in the body and stimulates the central nervous system, which has earned the drug a place on the UCI's banned list. Contador’s explanation as to why he and some of his teammates tested positive was that they consumed steaks contaminated with clenbuterol that were provided by a friend.

This wouldn’t be the first time in sport that contaminated food has caused athletes to test positive for clenbuterol.  109 soccer players tested positive in the 2011 Under 17 World Cup in Mexico after eating Mexican meat, which can contain the drug.  Cyclists in the 2011 Tour of Beijing were advised by their directeurs sportifs to avoid eating beef or pork whilst in China, as clenbuterol is commonly fed to cows and pigs there.  Instead riders were advised to stick to chicken and fish, which cannot contain clenbuterol, to avoid the scenario in which Contador found himself.  It’s also worth noting that the amount of clenbuterol found in his system was 40 times less than the minimum detectable amount of the World Anti-Doping Agency labs and was only picked up when the samples were sent to a lab in Switzerland that specialises in detecting minute traces of drugs.

Considering it was the most high-profile case in cycling for its entire duration, the Contador controversy took way too long to be resolved.  Contador’s positive test occurred on July 21^st, 2010, but was only publicly announced on September 30^th, well after the Tour de France concluded.  The case was first heard in February 2011 by the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC), who accepted Contador’s explanation of contaminated meat and cleared him of doping charges.  The following month both the UCI and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced their intention to appeal the decision to CAS, which announced it would resolve the case before the 2011 Tour de France.  Needless to say, this didn’t happen, and Contador lined up for the 2011 Tour amidst a storm of conjecture.  The hearing finally took place in November, and a verdict was originally due in mid-January, until the composition of the CAS arbitration panel was called into question, delaying the verdict.  Finally on February 6^th 2012, the arbitration panel issue being resolved, the decision was finally handed down.

So why did Contador’s case take so long to be resolved?  His was not the only doping case of late, or even the only high-profile one or scandalous one.  12-time French female national champion Jeannie Longo missed the critical third random doping test in 18 months and was lucky to avoid the mandatory two-year suspension after she was acquitted on a technicality – the anti-doping authorities failed to inform Longo that she was still eligible for out-of-race testing.  Danish rider Alex Rasmussen was even luckier – the UCI failed to inform Rasmussen of his third infringement within the required 14 days, thus jeopardising their own case against him.  Each of these cases was resolved within seven months of the final infringement taking place.  Yet Contador’s case lasted from July 21^st, 2010, when he tested positive, until February 6^th this year, when the final decision was handed down – a total time of over 18 months.

Despite her husband and trainer being investigated for the procurement of a banned substance, there was no evidence in her case to suggest Longo was actually guilty of doping, nor for Rasmussen, and given the circumstances, it seems unlikely that Contador was intentionally doing so either.  Regardless, CAS handed down the standard sentence for a positive doping test – a two-year suspension from the sport, which was backdated to January 25^th, 2011.  Under this sentence, Contador will not only lose his 2010 Tour de France title, but also any other titles won between January 25^th, 2011 and February 6^th, 2012, including the 2011 Giro d’Italia and his 5^th place in the 2011 Tour de France.  The suspension won’t be lifted until January 25^th, 2013, meaning that Contador will be ineligible for not only the 2012 Tour de France but also the 2012 London Olympics – a harsh sanction overall.

It’s made even worse by the fact that Contador is now fully aware of what he is losing, given the races and jerseys he has won since the 2010 Tour.  Had the issue been dealt with directly after the Tour, in the same fashion as Longo and Rasmussen, Contador would merely have lost the chance to earn the titles, and might even have been eligible to race in time for the Olympics.  Instead Contador has to watch as 18 months of hard work and training goes down the drain, the only light at the end of the tunnel being that due to the backdating less than half his suspension remains to be served.  For the 28-year-old who just a few years ago was cycling’s golden boy, he certainly got the raw end of the deal this time.