Bruyneel's CAS hearing to take place next month

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Johan Bruyneel's appeal against the 10-year ban handed to him last April by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) will be held on March 2 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). WADA's appeal to lengthen his ban, along with former team doctor José 'Pepe' Martí, is also being held on the same day by CAS.

Former team doctor Pedro Celaya is seeking to have his ban reduced with his hearing being held on the same day.

Bruyneel was originally issued with doping charges as a result of USADA's investigation into doping at the US Postal team. Bruyneel was the team director for all seven of Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France victories while Marti worked as a trainer with the teams and Celaya was a team doctor.

Bruyneel originally appealed the ban to CAS back in June following the decision by WADA to appeal the length of the bans handed down to Bruyneel and associates.

In late April 2014, Bruyneel was handed a 10 year ban in sport by the AAA with his sanction back-dated to when he was originally charged, ending June 11, 2022.

Bruyneel responded by writing on his personal blog, that he does not "dispute that there are certain elements of my career that I wish had been different" and has reiterated that he disputes the "jurisdiction of the AAA and/or the United States Anti-Doping Agency ("USADA")."

Bruyneel argued that only the Belgian cycling federation could impose a sanctionon him for the alleged violations including possession of prohibited substances and/or methods (including EPO, blood transfusions and related equipment, testosterone, HGH, corticosteroids and masking agents); trafficking of the aforementioned prohibited substances; administration and/or attempted administration of prohibited substances; and assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, covering up and other complicity involving one or more anti-doping rule violations.

Unlike Bruyneel, Armstrong, who was handed a lifetime ban by ASADA in 2012, decided not to fight the charges levelled at him but has fought other legal cases since, including most recently a $10 million SCA Promotions lawsuit.