The French-based Arkea-Samsic team, led by former Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España champion Nairo Quintana at this year’s Tour de France, is under preliminary investigation for suspicion of doping practices after the team’s hotel in Meribel was searched by public health officers last Wednesday.
Prosecutor Dominique Laurens in Marseille confirmed on Monday that an inquiry had been opened and cited the “discovery of many health products, including drugs and especially a method that could be qualified as doping.” Le Parisien reported that one of the team’s two doctors and a Spanish physiotherapist were taken into custody on Monday morning, while Quintana and his brother and teammate, Dayer, were also said to have been interviewed.
Further reports by Le Parisien also stated that what was described as “100ml of saline and injection equipment” were found by public health officers during the search. Prosecutor Laurens stated that the investigation focussed on the “prescription to an athlete without medical justification of a prohibited substance or method within the framework of a sports event, aid in the use and encouragement to use a substance or method prohibited to athletes, transport and possession of substance or method prohibited for use by an athlete without medical justification.”
Quintana finished second overall in the 2013 and 2015 Tours and third overall in 2016, on each occasion to Chris Froome. He won the 2014 Giro d’Italia and 2016 Vuelta a España.
The 2020 Tour was won by Tadez Pogacar, riding for UAE Team Emirates, who took the yellow jersey to Paris following a remarkable turnaround in Saturday’s pivotal team trial in which the 22 year old usurped fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic, of the Jumbo Visma team.