Astana deny connections with banned Dr. Michele Ferrari
The Kazakh-registered team firmly denies any connections with the physician who had previously worked with Lance Armstrong.
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Responding to allegations made by Danish and Norwegian media outlets of connections between the Astana Pro team and Dr. Michele Ferrari, the team has released a statement denying any such associations.
“Astana Pro Team is committed to the fight against doping in sport. The team requires that its affiliated riders comply with all anti-doping regulations, including a prohibition from associating with banned individuals. The team does not collaborate with any suspicious doctor, such as Dr. Michele Ferrari. The riders are not authorized to consult any doctors external to the team, in order to perform any activity, or to be prescribed any diet or treatment, related to their performance.”
Astana maintains that they have been in contact with the UCI and the CADF, and will collaborate with any investigations. The team expects that any evidence of wrongdoing discovered by the UCI or CADF, will be provided to the team, so that “immediate disciplinary proceedings can be initiated, in accordance with anti-doping regulations and the World Anti-doping Code.”
At this time, no action has been taken against the team, or individuals.