Contador defence chooses CAS tribunal member for appeal case

Alberto Contador's defence team has selected lawyer Ulrich Haas as their member of the three-person tribunal for the appeal case over the Spanish star's positive for clenbuterol in last year's Tour.

In CAS cases, the defence team chooses one member of the panel, the ‘prosecution' another and CAS the third.

Haas, a professor at Zurich University in civil law, has plenty of experience in anti-doping legislation. He was the chair of the WADA independent observer team at the Athens Olympics in 2004, and was also part of the CAS tribunal that confirmed Alejandro Valverde's suspension for two years over the Operation Puerto case.

Valverde tried to have Haas removed because his lawyers did not believe he would be impartial, but the case was thrown out by the Swiss courts, and the two-year ban stood.

There are unconfirmed reports in the Spanish media that the UCI have also selected their member of the tribunal. The last member and president of the tribunal, due to be selected by CAS, has not been announced.

When the news broke of the appeal by the UCI against Contador being cleared, CAS said they could reach a decision on the case before the 2011 Tour de France.

After winning the Tour of Catalunya in late March, Contador is due to start racing again on Wednesday in the Tour of Castilla y León, a race which he won in 2007, 2008 and 2010 as well as finishing second in 2009.  Between the two races he has been training in SE Spain, although he did not  - as was reported elsewhere - do altitude training in Sierra Nevada.

Next week Contador will take part in Fleche Wallone, in which he finished third last year and then go to the Giro, which he won in 2008.

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