Initially due to be heard in October, then put off until November 16th, the CAS hearing on Alejandro Valverde has been delayed once again. No new date has been indicated.
The hearing is the first of two appeals being lodged in connection with the Vuelta a España winner. It was started by Valverde and his legal team, and seeks to overturn the two year suspension imposed on him earlier this year by the Italian Olympic Committee CONI.
CONI established a DNA match between blood bags seized during the Operación Puerto raids in May 2006 and anti-doping samples taken from Valverde during last year’s Tour de France. It stated that this proved that he was involved with blood doping and imposed its ban, which prevented him from riding this year’s Tour. The race passed through Italy on the sixteenth stage.
Valverde is also facing a second CAS hearing, namely an appeal lodged by the UCI and WADA against the Spanish cycling federation’s decision not to sanction him over the Puerto case.
The UCI president Pat McQuaid has stated on several occasions that the UCI feels there is considerable evidence against Valverde.
No date has been set for this second hearing, but it’s likely that it too will be delayed due to the latest postponement.