The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) will ask its Licence Commission to withdraw the Astana Pro Team’s licence, it confirmed this morning. After reviewing the audit produced by the Institute of Sports Sciences at the University of Lausanne (ISSUL) into the team’s anti-doping culture, policies, structures and management systems, the UCI said that it had ‘compelling grounds’ to ask for the licence to be withdrawn.

The UCI said that the audit revealed ‘a big difference between the policies and structures that the team presented to the Licence Commission in December, and the reality on the ground’. The UCI said that Italian authorities have provided it with the sections of an investigation into doping in cycling currently being conducted by in Padova. It is understood that prosecutors are investigating allegations that that over 30 cyclists doped in 2010 and 2011. ‘As some of the evidence concerns Astana Pro Team members, this file has been passed on to the Licence Commission’, read the UCI’s statement.

The UCI has yet to announce a date when its Licence Commission will make a decision on Astana’s Pro Team licence. It said that it would not comment further until the Licence Commission had made its decision.

The Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC) said that Astana would remain as a member until its World Tour licence was suspended, as it had followed its rules. Astana suspended itself from World Tour competitions after many of its riders reported doping positives.

“Astana is still a member of the MPCC”, its President, Roger Legeay told the Sports Integrity Initiative. “In October, after two positives, they stopped for one week and after more positives, they suspended themselves from riding in the World Tour. If teams want to come to the MPCC, we welcome them, but they must follow the rules. Astana followed the rules of the MPCC.”

Legeay said that the MPCC rules deliberately focussed on team managers, doctors and organisations rather than on the riders, because they have the power to implement a change in culture within cycling. As of 18 February, MPCC represents all of the Continental Pro division teams and only six of the 37 professional teams are not members.

“It is their choice to sign up”, said Legeay. “All of the teams do a good job, however it is important for us to get to 100% because only then will we have the power to make real changes. The team manager and the doctor have more power to change rider behaviour than the UCI’s rules, which is why we focus on them.”