Del Moral reveals doping programme at Spanish Federation, with Ferrari involved
Luis García del Moral has admitted administering riders with EPO, growth hormone, and corticoids during his time as medical director of Spain’s national track cycling squad between 1993 and 1998, according to a report in Spanish newspaper El País on Tuesday. It is also revealed that the disgraced Dr. Michele Ferrari was involved in his work with the Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) during that period.
Del Moral received a life-time ban from sport for his part in the doping programme at the US Postal team, where he worked from 1999 to 2003, covering Lance Armstrong's first Tour de France victories. It was during a 2016 Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing, in which former US Postal manager Johan Bruyneel was appealing his 10-year ban, that Del Moral gave the evidence revealed today in El País.
"Was there a doping programme in the Spanish national squad between 1993 and 1998?" Del Moral was reportedly asked, to which he replied: "Yes." Asked whether corticoids were administered to Spanish cyclists during that period, he said: "That wasn't the main thing. The main thing was EPO and growth hormone."
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Asked whether Ferrari, also now banned for life, was involved in his work at the Spanish Cycling Federation, he said: "Yes."
El País reports that neither the Spanish Anti-doping Agency or the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), nor the UCI, have taken action to investigate further, despite all being aware of Del Moral's testimony. Neither he nor Ferrari can be newly sanctioned given the offences fall outside of the statute of limitations.
Del Moral's assertions were backed up by a confidential document published by El País, dated 15th July 1996, which breaks down his medical expenditure during that year. It was reported at the time that he had received nearly 14 million pesetas (€84,000) from the Spanish Cycling Federation that year – the year of the Atlanta Olympics – and the 12,866,729 pesetas detailed in the documents shows how that injection of funds was spent.
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