Verdict on Thursday

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Sport's highest court will issue a second verdict this week involving a doping case against a Tour de France winner.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Tuesday it will publish a ruling Thursday on an appeal filed by the International Cycling Union to have 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich investigated for links to Operation Puerto, a 2006 Spanish doping probe.

Ullrich's verdict will come three days after CAS banned Spanish rider Alberto Contador for two years and stripped him of his 2010 Tour title for doping.

The UCI forced Contador into sport's highest court, and has also pursued Ullrich during a case which has stalled for years.

Cycling's governing body challenged the Swiss Olympic committee's decision not to investigate Ullrich, a retired German racer who held a Swiss licence.

Ullrich served a six-month ban for using amphetamines in 2002, and a second offence could trigger a life ban from working in cycling.

The CAS ruling Thursday might not end the case. The panel could opt to make a definitive ruling on Ullrich's alleged doping links, or send the case back to Swiss Olympic for a fresh hearing.

.Swiss officials said last year they have no authority over Ullrich, who gave up his license in 2006.

The Puerto investigation emerged weeks before the 2006 Tour and Ullrich was suspended from the race, before being fired by his German team T-Mobile.

Ullrich was also a five-time runner-up in cycling's biggest race. Three times he was denied victory by seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong -- in 2000, '01 and '03.

Ullrich won an Olympic gold medal in the road race at the 2000 Sydney Games. He also took silver in the time trial, as Armstrong had to settle for bronze.