CAS hears Mayo case

Iban Mayo has his day in court today, when his case will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Spaniard tested positive for EPO at last year's Tour de France.

The problem, however, was with his B sample, which made a round-the-world trip before being declared positive. His A sample was tested in the French Anti-Doping laboratory, which was closed for holidays when it was time to test the B sample. It was sent to a lab in Gent, Belgium, which returned an inconclusive result. Subsequently, the lab in Sydney, Australia, called the sample negative. This led the Spanish Cycling Federation to declare him innocent and it dismissed all charges.

The UCI requested that the French lab in Chatenay-Malabry test the B sample, and in December the lab reported that it was positive for EPO. The Spanish federation declined to reopen the case against Mayo, and the UCI appealed that decision to the CAS.(SW)