Marcos Maynar, the physician on the coronary heart of a Spanish anti-doping investigation, has publicly vouched for the innocence of Miguel Ángel López, whose alleged hyperlinks to Maynar noticed him fired by Astana Qazaqstan.
Talking to Spanish information company EFE (opens in new tab) forward of a court docket look on Wednesday, Maynar apparently confirmed his hyperlinks to López however mentioned he’d solely provided the Colombian dietary assist (as EFE put it) and “nothing extra”.
Nonetheless, he additionally instructed that he’d really helpful the usage of Actovegin, a controversial substance comprised of calves’ blood which is alleged to have been used for efficiency achieve by Lance Armstrong and different cyclists.
Actovegin will not be prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Company, though it was briefly banned by the Worldwide Olympic Committee in 2000. It’s mostly injected, which might pose a threat underneath the UCI’s no-needle coverage that requires medical authorisation for injections, however can be administered orally.
At this stage, there isn’t a indication that López has ever taken Actovegin, solely that Maynar really helpful its use.
“[It makes] the cardiac muscle endure much less throughout effort,” Maynar instructed EFE. “It isn’t a substance that is on the doping lists, so it isn’t doping.”
Maynar was arrested in Might and charged with crimes towards public well being, drug trafficking and cash laundering. It was a part of the Operación Ilex investigation right into a suspected doping ring close to Cáceres within the Extremadura area of Western Spain. Additionally implicated are the previous crew supervisor Vicente Belda and his son, who was working as a soigneur at Astana Qazaqstan and has additionally been dismissed.
Maynar protested his personal innocence when talking to EFE outdoors the courtroom in Cáceres on Wednesday on the most recent stage of the listening to, however he additionally protested that of López.
“For different athletes, I would not put my hand within the hearth, however for this man [López], I might put my hand within the hearth that he has by no means used banned substances in his life.”
López remains to be understood to be planning authorized motion towards Astana Qazaqstan for unfair dismissal, stating that his sacking had “no trigger, and that there aren’t any new info which may justify such determination.”
“The rider rejects any allegation that might injury his title and honour as skilled rider, and reminds that he has by no means examined optimistic for any medicine or doping, nor has he been investigated by any authority,” continued the assertion launched by López in December.
López has since signed with the third-division Colombian squad Medellin-EPM however the former Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España podium finisher hopes to clear his title and return to the highest echelons of the game in Europe. He’s at present in motion on the Vuelta a San Juan, the place he’s among the many total favourites alongside the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Egan Bernal.
