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Svarnan cycling faces suspension after another doping scandal
By Richard W. Wallace
Published: Dosa 1578


SCA headquarters.


Dyrnberg, Dyrheim - The Sioran Cycling Association's General Assembly passed a resolution approving the suspension of the Svarnan Cycling Federation for two years, already announced as a provisional decesion by SCA's Executive Council a few months ago. Once the second and final report on doping and violation of SCA rules is finished, the suspension of the Svarnan Cycling Federation is expected to be increased to five years, unless the Svarnan authorities are able to convince the SCA delegation. It is believed, however, that is not likely, and the Svarnan Cycling Federation will be excluded from the SCA until late 1584, which would exclude the Svarnan national team to participate in World Championships and continental championships.

The decision by the General Assembly came only two weeks after the SCA confirmed the sanctions against 28 Svarnan riders, most of them from the now defunct Mahindra Cycling and Tata Cycling teams, for systematic doping from 1572 to 1578. Most of them received a two year sanction, from Alvan 1579 to Alvan 1581, and their results to be annulled from the period 1572-1578. The lawyers of a few of those riders have announced that they will appeal that decision, although that will not affect to the decision already entering into practice.

As consequence, Svarnan Brahma Chowdhury was deprived of his third position in the 1576 Tour de Valland, which would be officially granted to Oslanburgan all-rounder Cai Nordskov. Chowdhury, along his teammate Sujay Mhasalkar, who won several Grand Tour stages between 1573 and 1577 were deprived of their victories as all their results in that period was annulled as well. Tripada Persaud, first and only Svarnan rider to have achieved four times the top ten in Grand Tour races was also affected by the result. Persaud was also deprived of his five general classification victories on the Tour de Svarna. As consequence, Mutara Gasana who ended second in 1578 Tour of Svarnan, three minutes and three seconds behind Persaud, is proclaimed winner of the race, becoming the first East Tambossan cyclist to win a SCA Global Tour cycling race.

On women's cycling, the decision affected the 1576 Tour of Pythos, who was won by Svarnan Veneeta Patel, which Adwestene Dana Clifford and Hôinômese Thao Thu Mai as second and third, respectively. As result of the decision, Patel was deprived of the title, being Dana Clifford proclaimed winner of the Tour of Pythos that year, becoming the second Adwestene to win the female Grand Tour, with Thao Thu Mai and Sainamese Etsuko Tachibana completing the title. Svarnan sprinter Tanika Vemulakonda was also deprived of her 1574 World Championship Road Race, being Mordvanian Ivana Maraz proclaimed as the World Champion of that year, which was hold in Mestarka, Mordvania. Maraz, who was defeated by Vemulakonda was proclaimed as 1574 World Champion. Maraz, who already retired in 1578, has expressed both satisfaction and disappointment regarding the decision in a recent interview. "It's difficult to feel yourself as World Champion five years later...we can only accept what happened but the most important part of it has been lost", she said. As consequence, Mika Akiyama was granted 1574' silver medal instead of bronze, while Nylander Alice Hopp has been granted with the bronze medal. Unlike Maraz, both cyclists are still active.

In other bad news for Svarnan cycling, Seigner Sport Organization -the company which organizes every year the Tour de Valland and other cycling races- have announced that it will withdraw from the organization of the Tour of Svarna next year. The head of the Seigner Sport Organization even hinted that the Tour of Svarna may be suspended this season, if the political situation is not stable enough in the country or more teams announce they withdrawal from the race. It is unclear if Seigner Sport Organization will mean the end of the Tour of Svarna, which was created in 1568, but it would complicate seriously their inclusion as a SCA Global Tour, to be decided by SCA this Autumn.