Are any of the UCI doping bans legal ?

sherer
sherer Posts: 2,460
edited May 2010 in Pro race
Something I was just thinking about.

Last year in Formula One the Renault team were found guilty of cheating to win a race. They had one of their driers crash so that it meant their other driver could win.

The case was investigated by the FIA, tried by the FIA and then the punishment was handed down by the FIA too.

Flavio Briatore was banned for life from motor racing.

Being guilty as hell there wasn't a lot Flavio could do about it. He then took the FIA to court and said as they had acted as police, prosecutor and judge the ban was invalid as they can't take up all the sides it needs to be indepentant. he won his case and can now work in F1 again.

Surely the same thing applied to the UCI and national doping authorities too

Comments

  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    I don't think there is anything in the FIA rulebook that says if you are caught cheating you will face a lifetime ban. But the UCI rules DO have provisions for those that are caught doping or bringing the sport into disrepute, etc.
  • Just a thought, If they weren't legal various lawyers would have picked up on this already. Besides that, bans go through national feds, world federations and are validated by CAS on appeal, 3 separate bodies.
  • Eau Rouge
    Eau Rouge Posts: 1,118
    sherer wrote:
    Being guilty as hell there wasn't a lot Flavio could do about it. He then took the FIA to court and said as they had acted as police, prosecutor and judge the ban was invalid as they can't take up all the sides it needs to be indepentant. he won his case and can now work in F1 again.

    Surely the same thing applied to the UCI and national doping authorities too

    That isn't how I understood what had happened in Flavio's court victory. The court decided the procedures used by the FIA in this particular case were insufficient, but they didn't say that the FIA isn't able to pass judgement and impose penalties. Flavio and Pat Symonds are still banned from F1 until 2013.
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    The UCI has rules that are in line with the IOC and WADA and they have been tested in court several times, there is case history and "jurisprudence" for UCI bans, so long as the rules are respected.
  • sherer
    sherer Posts: 2,460
    thanks for clearing it up. Just saw a few similarities and always wondered what would happen if someone tried the same thing to the UCI