After a number of delays in relation to the Alberto Contador case, a further wait of one more week has been announced, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport stating that it will aim to give its findings next Monday.
A brief statement has been issued by CAS, naming a date but also stating that this is not completely certain.
“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) intends to publish its decision in the arbitration procedure involving the International Cycling Union (UCI), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Alberto Contador and the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) on Monday 6 February 2012,” it said in a statement on its website.
“A confirmation as to the date and time of the publication of the decision will be given by the CAS at the end of this week.”
CAS held the hearing between November 21st and 24th and said that the time it would take approximately six weeks for a decision. This timeframe ultimately proved inaccurate.
On January 11th the Associated Press reported that WADA was unhappy with how the trial had played out, leading to a high volume of media reports on the subject. Five days later CAS announced that the case decision had been delayed due to that media attention, stating that a final pronouncement would be made this week.
Today’s announcement shows that timeframe is also off, although hopefully next Monday will indeed see a final verdict.
Contador tested positive for Clenbuterol in the 2010 Tour de France. If found guilty, he faces the loss of that title as well as a suspension.
Also see: legal experts give their opinions on Contador's case and CAS hearing