Saiz steps aside
ByReuters
Published 08/06/2006 at 20:20 GMT
Manolo Saiz, the cycling team director at the centre of a doping storm in Spain, has resigned from all his duties, his team said on Thursday. Astana-Wurth, who took over sponsorship of the team formerly known as Liberty Seguros, announced Saiz's resignati
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
Saiz and doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who has collaborated with a number of professional cycling teams in recent years, were questioned by police last month as part of what the Spanish media called the country's biggest anti-doping probe.
Police said they had raided a number of addresses and found a large quantity of medical supplies such as anabolic steroids, and more than 100 frozen packs of blood.
Liberty Seguros withdrew their sponsorship of the team shortly afterwards.
The Liberty team hit the headlines last year when Roberto Heras was banned for two years after testing positive for the banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO) on his way to a record fourth victory in the Tour of Spain.
Heras, a former team mate of seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong in the U.S. Postal team, protested his innocence, arguing first that there must have been a laboratory mix-up and then that the testing process for EPO was flawed.
Team president Manuel Pinera stepped down in the wake of the case.
The Spanish government has said it is determined to crack down on doping in sport and has passed a draft law which will make it an offence for professional athletes to use, or be supplied with, banned substances.
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