Nairo Quintana’s Tour de France tramadol disqualification upheld

The UCI’s decision to cancel Nairo Quintana’s participation in the 2022 Tour de France has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS].

Quintana tested positive twice for tramadol.

Quintana finished sixth in the Tour, but lost out due to the decision. Tramadol is not currently banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA], but it will begin in 2024.

It is currently banned under the UCI’s medical rules for safety reasons.

The Colombian had appealed to CAS to overturn the UCI’s decision and restore his results, but the decision now stands.

News of Quintana’s recent confirmation that he has terminated his contract with French team Arkea-Samsic will inevitably hurt his chances of qualifying for 2023.

A statement from CAS on Thursday confirmed that the evidence provided by the UCI was satisfactory and that Quintana’s samples contained tramadol.

It said: “The panel considered and determined that the UCI’s in-competition ban on tramadol was for medical rather than doping reasons and therefore within the power and jurisdiction of the UCI.

“Furthermore, the panel is very satisfied with the scientific evidence that Nairo Quintana’s samples contained both tramadol and its two metabolites. On this basis, the panel concluded that the challenged decision should stand, and The appeal was dismissed.”

In a video shared on Twitter (opens in a new tab), Quintana said: “Today we got a response from CAS. Sadly, it didn’t work for me.

“I can proudly say that in my long athletic career, I’ve had over 300 anti-doping tests, more or less 3 times a month, and I’ve never had any doping problems. I’ve had many There is no reason not to and to take the product. Sadly, the CAS turned out to be the case.

Quintana continued: “But that’s it, my friends. Life goes on, life goes on, and the storm will pass.”

Tramadol is a powerful opioid pain reliever that can produce unwanted side effects, including nausea, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating.

As a result, it was banned by the UCI in 2019, but since it was banned under the organization’s medical rules, it was not automatically suspended. In the event of a positive test, Rider’s results may still be invalid.

The decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport is final and drivers cannot appeal. With the exception of the recent Road World Championships in Australia, Quintana has not raced since the Tour de France.

Whether he will reach the top of cycling in 2023 remains to be seen.