By Antonio J. Salmerón
Jaime Lissavetzky, the Spanish minister of sport, indicated Saturday that Alejandro Valverde can count on the support of the Spanish Superior Council (CSD) as well as the Spanish federation in his battle with the UCI to participate in the World Championships. Lissavetzky said that the organisations would support him as long as the UCI "does not demonstrate that there are changes in relation to the Operación Puerto summary that already is known".
"If Valverde fulfilled the requirements to race the Tour de France," he told EFE. "I do not understand why he cannot also race the World Championships; we do not have any information that changes the previous situation."
The situation concerning Valverde's participation in Worlds could become a subject of the State, after Lissavetzky declared that, "cycling plays an important role in [Spanish] sport. The situation can be delicate, but there are moments in which from the crisis a greater strength results."
