Landis during arbitration hearing (Image credit: AFP Photo)
A new challenge to Floyd Landis' disqualification from the 2006 Tour de France is going forward. Landis' attorneys filed a motion Thursday in a US Federal Court. In September, Landis announced he would challenge the decision of the Court for Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which upheld the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) arbitration which saw him disqualified from the 2006 Tour de France for doping.
News that Landis tested positive for testosterone surfaced shortly after his victory in the 2006 Tour. He launched a vigorous, public challenge to the charges, but lost his case with USADA in September, 2007. He appealed to CAS two months later, but lost that case in June.
Landis was given a two-year suspension which ends January 29, 2009, but he was also ordered to pay $100,000 to USADA before he could begin racing again. He signed with the new OUCH Pro Cycling team for the 2009 season.
With his appeals in the normal sporting arena exhausted, Landis decided to take his case to the US Federal Court claiming that the arbiters who heard the case at CAS had conflicts of interest. The official motion was filed Thursday.
David Howman, the WADA General Director, told AFP, "There will be no compromise made," in the fight against doping, even though the agency has nearly used up the allotted $1.8 million to litigate the Landis case.
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