The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that the Swiss Federal Tribunal has dismissed the appeal filed by Colombian rider Miguel Ángel López Moreno against the decision issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on 7 May 2025. The CAS decision upheld the ruling of the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal (UCI ADT), which had found Mr López guilty of using and possessing a prohibited substance concomitantly with the 2022 Giro d’Italia.
The case is now definitively closed.
Background
The UCI opened and handled* disciplinary proceedings against Mr López, in accordance with the applicable regulations, based on evidence provided by the Spanish Guardia Civil and the Spanish Anti-Doping Organisation (CELAD) to the International Testing Agency (ITA). The evidence was obtained in the context of Operation “Ilex”, an investigation into Spanish doctor Marcos Maynar concerning the alleged trafficking of unauthorised medicines that could pose a risk to public health (the CELAD Evidence).
On 29 May 2024, the UCI ADT found that Mr López had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for the use and possession of a prohibited substance. The decision was based on the CELAD Evidence, including the interception of a parcel containing Menotropin** that was addressed to Mr López concomitantly with the 2022 Giro d’Italia.
The UCI ADT imposed the following sanctions:
a four-year period of ineligibility, from 25 July 2023 to 24 July 2027;
disqualification of all results obtained between 3 May 2022 and 25 July 2023; and
a fine equal to 70% of Mr López’s gross income from cycling for 2022.
Mr López appealed the UCI ADT decision to the CAS. After reviewing the facts and the applicable law, a three-member CAS panel upheld the UCI ADT decision in full.
Mr López then challenged the CAS decision before the Federal Tribunal. He argued, among other things, that relying on the CELAD Evidence and imposing a significant fine violated procedural and substantive guarantees under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
In a judgment dated 19 August 2026, the Federal Tribunal dismissed Mr López’s challenge. The judgment is final.
Findings of the Federal Tribunal
In its 29-page judgment, the Federal Tribunal confirmed that the CAS panel was entitled to rely on the CELAD Evidence gathered during Operation “Ilex”.
The Federal Tribunal noted that the exchange of information between CELAD, the ITA and the UCI is, at first sight, consistent with the cooperation between public authorities and sporting organisations promoted by the International Convention against Doping in Sport of 19 October 2005, ratified by numerous countries, including Spain and Switzerland.
The Federal Tribunal also considered Mr López’s argument that the CELAD Evidence may have been obtained unlawfully under Spanish law. It found that this allegation had not been established and held that, in the circumstances of this case, determining the truth was of primary importance, given the legitimate objectives of protecting fair competition and combating doping.
The Federal Tribunal further found that the CAS award, which confirmed the UCI ADT’s decision, was compatible with procedural public policy and the applicable procedural guarantees under the ECHR.
The Federal Tribunal also noted that private sports governing bodies such as the UCI “are often dependent on the results of investigations conducted by State authorities, given that, unlike the latter, they do not enjoy extensive powers of investigation and coercion [free translation from French]”.
The financial sanction
The Federal Tribunal also validated the UCI’s own anti-doping provision which stipulates that a rider who intentionally commits an ADRV may, in addition to the sanctions provided for under the World Anti-Doping Code, be required to pay a fine equal to 70% of the gross income from cycling to which the rider was entitled during the calendar year in which the violation occurred (Article 10.12.1 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules).
The Federal Tribunal considered that this rule serves a legitimate purpose: preventing a rider who intentionally violates the anti-doping rules from obtaining a financial benefit from that conduct.
The Federal Tribunal also held that a financial sanction can be an appropriate way to punish serious anti-doping violations and discourage other athletes from using prohibited substances. In its view, such a sanction can strengthen the effectiveness of anti-doping rules by serving both a punitive and a general deterrent purpose. It can therefore contribute to protecting fair competition in the interests of athletes and the public.
The Federal Tribunal consequently found that the fine imposed on Mr López was compatible with substantive public policy and the guarantees of the ECHR.
UCI statement
The UCI welcomes the judgment of the Federal Tribunal. The judgment confirms that the sanctions provided for under the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, including financial sanctions, pursue a legitimate objective in the interests of cycling and may be proportionate even when the amount involved is significant.
The UCI reiterates its determination to protect the integrity of cycling and to ensure fair competition.
The decision rendered by the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal on 29 May 2024, the award rendered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on 7 May 2025 and the judgment rendered by the Federal Tribunal on 19 August 2026 will be published on the UCI website shortly.
* It is worth noting that the disciplinary and related legal proceedings took place prior to the delegation of Results Management to the International Testing Agency (ITA) in February 2026. See the ITA press release of 9 February 2026 for more information: https://ita.sport/news/uci-further-reinforces-the-independence-of-its-anti-doping-program-by-delegating-results-management-to-the-ita/.
** Menotropin is a Prohibited Substance under class S2.2 [Peptide Hormones and their releasing factors] of the Prohibited List which is maintained by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and adopted by the UCI.