The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has filed an appeal to the Constitutional Court of Spain as it continues its bid to reveal the names of those involved in Operacion Puerto, according to a report in Spanish newspaper AS. Over 200 blood bags that were seized as part of the long-running Operacion Puerto investigation were handed over to the anti-doping authorities in 2016. However, a year later the Provincial Court of Madrid said that the authorities would not be allowed to reveal the names of any athletes involved unless they were involved in on-going anti-doping investigations. If the latest appeal is successful, WADA would not be allowed to open any disciplinary proceedings against the athletes because the 10-year statute of limitation has passed.ADVERTISEMENT According to AS, WADA are speaking with a data protection expert to see if revealing the names would infringe upon the athletes` privacy. The paper reports that the blood bags identified belong to 26 men and three women, but did not list their sports. Operacion Puerto, and its fallout, has been rumbling on for 12 years with the first arrest, Liberty Seguros team manager Manolo Saiz, made in May 2006. The investigation uncovered a large-scale doping network centred on Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, with several big-name riders implicated, including Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich, Frank Schleck, Alejandro Valverde and Tyler Hamilton. There were also several athletes from other sports involved.
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