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UCI requests that Astana’s Pro Tour licence be revoked

After an audit of Astana Pro Team by the Institute of Sport Sciences of the University of Lausanne (ISSUL), the UCI said in a statement Friday that there are “compelling grounds” for the Licence Commission of cycling’s world governing body to revoke the team’s Pro Tour licence.

After a spate of doping positives in the second half of 2014, Astana was granted Pro Tour status in December with the condition that ISSUL conduct an audit to “assess the team’s internal structures, culture, and management systems, to understand whether they are adequate, and to ensure that the highest ethical standards are upheld.” ISSUL found Astana wanting.

However, there’s more to the UCI recommendation to its Licence Commission than the audit, as the Padova doping investigation has linked Astana to Michele Ferrari, the banned doping doctor. The UCI’s statement said, “The Italian authorities have provided the UCI with the sections of the Padova investigation which it has been authorized to share. As some evidence concerns Astana Pro Team members, the file has been passed to the Licence Commission as part of this referral.”

No timeline for the stripping of pro status has been given. Astana isn’t entered in this weekend’s Flanders season openers of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, but is slated for Strade Bianche and Paris-Nice next week.

Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali and last year’s stage-race revelation Fabio Aru could find their seasons in serious jeopardy. Even if Astana was bumped down to pro continental status, wildcard invitations to WorldTour races aren’t guaranteed, especially if the team’s membership in the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC) is affected by the Licence Commission’s decision.

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