Awaiting a decision

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The Court of Arbitration for Sport will issue its decision on Alberto Contador's doping case in about two weeks following delays prompted by questions about the panel's independence.

The Spanish cyclist is facing a two-year ban for testing positive for clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour de France. The three-time Tour champion said the clenbuterol came from contaminated beef that he ate during the race.

CAS had planned to rule early this month, but on Monday it blamed media reports on the process for delaying its verdict.

The court said it asked the International Cycling Union, the World Anti-Doping Agency, Contador and the Spanish Cycling Federation if they wanted to challenge the composition of the decision-making panel, in light of the reports. All of them declined the offer.

"Unfortunately, this regrettable incident has slightly delayed the work of the Panel and the publication of the final decision should now take place during the week of 31 January 2012," CAS said in a statement on its website.

Last week, The Associated Press reported that WADA lawyers came "very close" to walking out of the hearing because Barak announced that WADA lawyers were not allowed to question Australian doping expert Michael Ashenden about blood transfusion issues.

At least twice in two months preceding the hearing, Barak visited Spain to speak on CAS issues at seminars in Madrid. One was organized by the Spanish Football Federation. The other, on Nov. 8, was at Spain's National Sports Agency.

On both occasions, lawyers for Contador also spoke at those conferences. But lawyers for WADA attended the congress on football law, too, and representatives of both WADA and the UCI spoke at the Nov. 8 seminar.

To some involved in Contador's case, Barak showed questionable judgment in travelling to Spain so close to chairing the hearing for that country's most successful Tour rider since Miguel Indurain won five straight from 1991-1995.

Also, Contador's team, Saxo Bank-SunGard, trained in Israel last month.