Vlad Dascălu, European mountain bike champion in 2023, was suspended for a period of 17 months by the Anti-Doping Tribunal of the International Cycling Union, for deviations from the anti-doping regulations, according to the Facebook page of the Romanian Cycling Federation.
Vlad Dascalu. PHOTO: The Truth Archive
''We regret to inform you that the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal issued a decision to suspend Vlad Dascălu. The court found Vlad guilty of violating the anti-doping rules, namely three deviations when declaring the location in a 12-month period, imposing a suspension period of 17 months. In accordance with the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code and the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the suspension period starts from the day of notification of the decision, in this case, May 21, 2024'', states the Romanian Cycling Federation
The decision can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within one month.
'The UCI will not comment further on this matter. We would like to clarify that: this is NOT a doping case! The Romanian Cycling Federation cannot get involved in the case, apart from the moral support of Vlad. We will return with further details as we have them“, the statement also states.
Dascălu (26 years old), who was a medal hope for Romania at the Paris Olympics, has, among others, an Under-23 MTB world title (2019), a European Under-23 MTB title (2019) and MTB U23 World Cup (2019). At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, in 2021, Dascălu ranked 7th.
Vlad Dascălu ranked 14th at the MTB European Championships at Cheile Grădiştei, on May 12.
