Thaindian News

Madrid, Feb 6 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Spanish Tour de France champ Alberto Contador has been stripped of the title by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Contador was found guilty of using banned substance during the 2010 Tour de France championship.

Contador tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol. He argued that he got the substance in his system when he ate a contaminated meat during the 2010 Tour. The decision came after the International Cycling Union and World Anti-Doping Agency appealed against the Spanish cycling tribunal ruling last year. The tribunal accepted the explanation of Contador and exonerated him. The decision was then appealed by the ICU and WADA.

The three-man panel CAS overturned the tribunal’s decision when they ruled that, “The presence of clenbuterol was more likely caused by the ingestion of a contaminated food supplement.”

Contador has also been banned 2 years by CAS. The ban has been backdated meaning Contador could be back to competition in August.

Contador is considered a successful cyclist. He is only one of the five cyclists in history to have won three major Grand Tours. He is the second Tour champion to be stripped of his title in history. In 2006, American cyclist Floyd Landis, was stripped of his title.