UCI opens inquiry into Vinokourov race fixing
Source: Agencies |
November 7, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
OLYMPIC road race champion Alexandre Vinokourov is under investigation for allegedly bribing a rival to fix a race, as ongoing fallout from the Lance Armstrong doping affair threatens to claim another of cycling's biggest names.
The International Cycling Union pledged on Monday to open its own probe into revived allegations that the London Games gold medalist from Kazakhstan paid off his opponent in a two-man breakaway to ensure he won the 2010 Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic.
The UCI acted after receiving a file on the case from an Italian prosecutor who is leading a wider investigation of corruption in cycling linked to Dr. Michele Ferrari, a former adviser to Armstrong.
"The UCI takes these issues extremely seriously," the governing body said in a statement. "We will ask Alexandre Vinokourov and Alexandr Kolobnev to attend a meeting at our headquarters in Aigle as soon as possible to provide the UCI with their response to the contents of the Padua inquiry dossier."
Vinokourov allegedly paid Russian rider Kolobnev 150,000 euros (nearly US$200,000) after arranging a fix during their breakaway in the April 2010 one-day race. The allegations were first made by a Swiss magazine last year, and were denied by Vinokourov who threatened to take legal action.
Italian daily Corriere della Sera published further details on Saturday.
"The UCI has been requesting information concerning these media allegations since December 2011, when they were first raised by the Swiss magazine L'Illustre," the governing body said. "To date, the information provided to UCI was not sufficient to take legal action."
The International Cycling Union pledged on Monday to open its own probe into revived allegations that the London Games gold medalist from Kazakhstan paid off his opponent in a two-man breakaway to ensure he won the 2010 Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic.
The UCI acted after receiving a file on the case from an Italian prosecutor who is leading a wider investigation of corruption in cycling linked to Dr. Michele Ferrari, a former adviser to Armstrong.
"The UCI takes these issues extremely seriously," the governing body said in a statement. "We will ask Alexandre Vinokourov and Alexandr Kolobnev to attend a meeting at our headquarters in Aigle as soon as possible to provide the UCI with their response to the contents of the Padua inquiry dossier."
Vinokourov allegedly paid Russian rider Kolobnev 150,000 euros (nearly US$200,000) after arranging a fix during their breakaway in the April 2010 one-day race. The allegations were first made by a Swiss magazine last year, and were denied by Vinokourov who threatened to take legal action.
Italian daily Corriere della Sera published further details on Saturday.
"The UCI has been requesting information concerning these media allegations since December 2011, when they were first raised by the Swiss magazine L'Illustre," the governing body said. "To date, the information provided to UCI was not sufficient to take legal action."
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