The UAE Team Colombia regrets to inform the public and the media that after receiving notification of the adverse analytical finding involving cyclist Esteban Toro from the national and international authorities, it has made the decision to suspend the athlete’s employment relationship and put an end to all the sporting activity of the team in Colombia. The UAE Team Colombia has stood out since its creation for its commitment to the fight against doping and its unrestricted respect for the rules of the World Anti-Doping Organisation (WADA), the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the Colombian Cycling Federation. Our organisation was created at the end of 2019 with the aim of training and promoting new talent in Colombian cycling, which forced it to comply with the strictest anti-doping standards.

The events of which the cyclist is accused took place out of competition and before the start of the 2021 calendar, when he was not yet under the team’s supervision. The facts are still the subject of investigation and both the team and the cyclist are awaiting the B sample, to which the athlete is entitled, and the internal investigations to confirm or rule out his adverse analytical finding. 

We trust that the cyclist can clarify the situation, that he will face due process and exercise his right to defence within the terms established by the International Cycling Union. Due to the seriousness of these events, the UAE Team Colombia has decided to put an end to its sporting and administrative activity in Colombia, due to its philosophy of ZERO TOLERANCE to doping under the standards of the Colombian Cycling Federation and the Ministry of Sport of the Republic of Colombia.

• This media release was published by UAE Team Colombia on 2 June 2021 via Twitter. Click here for the original.