Explaining the Alejandro Valverde case

Valverde

published 12 May 2009

The Italian Olympic Committee barred Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde from competing in Italy for two years yesterday.

The Italian authorities say they have DNA evidence that links Valverde to blood bags seized in the Operacion Puerto investigation into blood-doping three years ago.

Doping has been a criminal offence in Italy since 2000. The Valverde investigation was opened by the Italian anti-doping investigators and the police in Rome. The Italian police have the jurisdiction to investigate offences committed on foreign soil if there is an impact on events in Italy. The Italian view is that they want to determine whether Valverde committed a doping offence. Bear in mind that ?attempting to dope? and ?preparing to dope? are also offences, as Ivan Basso can testify.

The Spanish contest just about every aspect of this case. For a start, in Spain the law prohibits evidence from a police investigation from being used for a sporting investigation. In Italy you can, so the Italians say they are within their rights to use police evidence to pursue Valverde even though Operacion Puerto has not gone to trial and Valverde has not been part of the Spanish investigation.

Italian police applied for access to the blood bags seized in the 2006 raids on the Madrid laboratory run by Dr Eufamiano Fuentes. Because of a European police accord, and because it was a criminal not sporting investigation, the Italians were given access to the bags, which were being stored in Barcelona at the time. The Italians say they tested the DNA in blood bag number 18, the one they believed came from Valverde.

When the Tour de France visited Cuneo in Italy last year, anti-doping testers targeted Valverde as part of this investigation. The Italians claim that they have a DNA match between samples from blood bag number 18, held in Spain, and the test conducted on Valverde in Italy in July 2008. On that basis CONI, the Italian Olympic Committee, has investigated Valverde and the Italian anti-doping tribunal found him guilty. Valverde has been banned from competing in Italy for two years.

Stage 16 enters Italy. If Valverde were to start the Tour, it?s likely the Italian police could be waiting at the border to stop him. That would be very unwelcome publicity for the Tour. Of course the Tour organisers could change the stage route, like the Giro organisers did this year to avoid going into France. If the Tour didn?t enter Italy and if Valverde?s ban is not extended to the rest of the world before the Tour, in theory he could ride. Valverde rides for a team sponsored by a French bank, so pressure may be brought to bear.

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Explaining the Alejandro Valverde case

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