The International Cycling Union (UCI) is to open an investigation into allegations that Olympic champion Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan bribed Russian Alexandre Kolobnev to win the 2010 Liege-Bastogne-Liege race, the governing body said on Monday (November 5).
Vinokourov won the one-day race by beating Kolobnev in a two-man finish.
The investigation is starting because the UCI has received a case file from an Italian public prosecutor who is investigating alleged corruption in cycling.
UCI President Pat McQuaid said that both riders have been summoned to the UCI headquarters in Aigle,Switzerland and that if they were found guilty, the license commission would re-evaluate the world tour licenses of the Astana and Katusha teams.
On Saturday the Italian Corriere della Sera newspaper published details of the Padua investigation into Vinokourov's victory, including the email exchange between the two riders about payments and bank details. Both riders are also alleged to be clients of Dr. Ferrari, with details of Vinokourov's payments to the disgraced doctor revealed in the recent USADA evidence.
Police in Padua are investigating the possibility of a team doping programme at Astana by Dr Ferrari after Leonardo Bertagnolli and Volodymyr Bileka gave sworn statements to police that they saw several Astana riders working with Dr. Ferrari at altitude.
Vinokourov officially retired after winning gold in the Olympic road race in London but will stay in cycling as the head of the Astana team in 2013. The UCI recently awarded Astana a WorldTour licence for 2013 but the team's place in the highest echelon of cycling could be at risk if it is proved that Vinokourov paid-off Kolobnev to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Astana has signed Vincenzo Nibali as team leader for 2013.
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