Roux banned for four years by CAS

FRENCH professional cyclist Laurent Roux was banned for four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Roux tested positive for banned amphetamines during a race in France in April 2002 in a test undertaken by the international cycling federation (UCI).

The former Jean Delatour cyclist was last year banned by UCI, but not by the French federation, which said that in terms of French laws a French-body should have undertaken the tests. The Arbitration Sports Authority later lifted the banning, but the UCI appealed against the decision and took it to CAS, which recently issued a four-year ban until May 26, 2007. Roux was also fined 4,000 Swiss francs (3,000 dollars.).

Roux did not attend the CAS hearing saying that the organisation was not competent to deal with the case. CAS said that it had imposed the minimum four-year ban for a second doping offence, as the cyclist had served a six-month suspension in 1999 after testing positive during a race in Belgium. The French cycling federation has said that it will accept CAS's ruling.