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Salas has biological passport ban overturned by Spanish authorities

By Cycling News

published 18 February 2019

Court says biological passport could not prove if rider had taken banned substances

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Combined classification leader Ibai Salas Zorrozua (Burgos BH) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Spanish rider Ibai Salas has had his long-term ban for a biological passport offence overturned by a court in Spain.

Salas handed long-term ban for bio passport offence

Burgos BH facing suspension after Salas doping positive

UCI suspend Burgos-BH

Burgos-BH teach ethics classes during doping suspension

Salas was handed a three-year and nine-month ban last October and fined €3,000, by the Spanish anti-doping authorities, AEPSAD. However, a report by Europa Press states that the Administrative Court for Sport (TAD) annulled the ban earlier this month.

According to the TAD, the biological passport does not account for knowing whether or not the athlete did, in fact, take a prohibited substance, or where or when it may have been taken. The court said that the biological passport "is not sufficient to prove the commission of an infringement" and chose to nullify Salas' ban.

Salas was one of two Burgos BH riders given lengthy suspensions for anti-doping infractions in the space of 12 months with David Belda sanctioned after he tested positive for EPO in 2017. Meanwhile, another of the team's riders, Igor Meriño, is provisionally suspended after testing positive for growth hormone.

Burgos BH were given a 21-day team suspension as a result of Salas and Belda's bans, which ran from January 16 and February 5. They made their return to racing at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana earlier this month.

Cyclingnews has contacted the UCI for comment but has not yet received a response.