Substance not on WADA banned list, Spanish federation awaits B sample
Oscar Sevilla holds the overall lead (Image credit: Luis Barbosa)
Oscar Sevilla may return to racing. The Spanish Cycling Federation has lifted his provisional suspension for suspicion of doping pending the results of an analysis of the B sample.
Sevilla tested positive for hydroxyethyl starch at the Vuelta A Columbia on August 15, and the UCI announced his provisional suspension. The product, HES, a blood plasma volume expander that has been abused by athletes to keep blood values within the normal range after boosting red blood cell production through EPO or other methods.
On Thursday it was announced the Ezequiel Mosquera, who finished second in this year's Vuelta a Espana and his Xacobeo Galicia teammate David Garcia Da Pena had tested positive for HES at the Vuelta.
The Spanish Federation ruled that Sevilla should not be suspended since the product is not on the World Anti-Doping Agency list of banned substances. However, it said that if the B sample also showed the presence of the substance, it would have to then decide whether to give Sevilla a doping-related suspension.
The ruling goes along with the Mosquera and De Pena cases. Although they returned “adverse analytical findings”, they were not suspended.
UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani explained to Cyclingnews that HES is a forbidden substance, but incurs disciplinary proceedings only when the B sample is also positive.
"At the moment I can ride , because I am not punished. The Federation has told me that first you should investigate thoroughly, open another sample, and if the result is repeated, they will indeed consider a penalty, but for now, I can keep riding,” Sevilla told the Spanish newspaper El Tiempo. The B sample is scheduled to be analyzed on 7 October.
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"I'm not safe yet. Let's say that justice is done because there is no reason to suspend me. There can be no direct doping case, as with a forbidden substance, since hydroxyethyl is not on the banned list, "said Sevilla.
"I take all the steps and face the situation. Ideally, the B sample will be negative. But if not, then the cycling federation will meet to decide on my case," he concluded.
