August 09, 2007	Thursday	Rajab 24, 1428

BERLIN, Aug 8: Tour de France winner Alberto Contador is not welcome to take part in a race in Germany this month because he was named in connection with the Operation Puerto blood-doping scandal, organisers claimed on Wednesday.

The organisers of the Pro-Tour's Cyclassics event in Hamburg on August 19 said the Spaniard had been named in the Spanish investigation and was therefore unwanted.

“It is our basic position that we don't want any rider named on the Fuentes list,” Frank Bertling said.

German authorities say they have received information from German doping expert Werner Franke which, he claims, shows Contador had taken testosterone and asthma medication.

Franke bases his claim on documents he says are in his possession from the Spanish police’s Operation Puerto inquiry into Eufemiano Fuentes, the doctor said to have masterminded doping programmes for athletes.

“The name of this Mr Contador appears on several occasions on the court and police documents,” Franke told German television station ZDF on July 30.

“All of this has been simply concealed and hidden under the carpet whilst the name Contador was erased from the list of supicious riders,” added Franke.

He says he has a detailed list of banned products used by Contador which appear in sworn statements following the raid on Fuentes’ medical practise.

“He took insulin, HMG-Lepori, a hormone to stimulate the secretion of testosterone and also a product for asthma called TGN.”—AFP