Doping-tainted Vinokourov resigns from Almaty bid role

Posted February 19, 2015 10:00 pm

By The Associated Press

Alexandre Vinokourov has resigned as an ambassador for Almaty's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics amid questions surrounding his doping past.

Vinokourov was kicked out of the 2007 Tour de France after testing positive for blood doping and served a two-year ban. Winner of the road race at the 2012 London Olympics, he is currently general manager of the Astana cycling team.

Vinokourov's role in the Almaty bid came under scrutiny from media during the IOC evaluation commission's visit to the Kazakh city this week.

The bid committee issued a statement Friday saying "Alexandre Vinokourov resigned as bid ambassador, he was only part of the application phase."

Almaty is competing against Beijing for the Olympics. The IOC will select the host city on July 31.

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