UCI suspends Colombian team Medellín-EPM for 30 days after two doping cases

According to the International Testing Agency, which manages anti-doping procedures on behalf of the UCI, the suspension will run from March 27 until April 25.

“The UCI Disciplinary Commission has decided to suspend the Colombian Continental Team Medellín–EPM for a period of 30 days,”  it said in a statement. The UCI added that it would not comment further on the case.

The sanction follows two separate cases involving irregularities in the biological passports of riders connected to the Colombian team. Under UCI Anti-Doping Rules, a team can be suspended if two or more riders or staff members are notified of certain anti-doping rule violations within the same twelve month period.

The first case involves Colombian rider Aldemar Reyes. He was notified on  June 10 of last year by Colombia’s National Anti-Doping Organization of an anti-doping rule violation linked to unexplained abnormalities in his Athlete Biological Passport. The irregularities were detected in blood values recorded between February and August 2023.

Just over two months later another case emerged within the same team. On August 21, 2025 the Colombian rider Fabio Duarte, under-23 world champion in 2008, was informed of a similar violation. 

In his case, authorities identified unexplained variations in his biological passport during several periods including February 2023, between July and December 2024, and again in January 2025.

Both cases concern what anti-doping authorities describe as "Adverse Passport Findings", meaning abnormal biological markers that may indicate the use of banned substances or prohibited methods. The biological passport system monitors an athlete’s blood values over time in order to detect suspicious fluctuations that cannot be explained by normal physiological changes.

The decision means Medellín-EPM will be unable to compete in races during the sanction period. The Colombian squad is one of the most recognisable teams on the South American Continental circuit and has frequently participated in international stage races at UCI 2.2 level.

Among the riders associated with the team in recent seasons is Spanish veteran Óscar Sevilla, who at 49-years-old continues to compete and remains a prominent figure in the Colombian racing scene.

The statement noted that the decision can still be challenged. According to the governing body both the team and the UCI itself have the right to appeal the ruling before the appeals division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).