ITA apologises to Cavallar but maintains that the doping test was carried out correctly

The International Testing Agency (ITA) has officially responded to Valentina Cavallar's complaint and has apologized to the Austrian cyclist. However, the organization maintains that both she and her family cooperated with the procedure and that at no time did they request her suspension or postponement.

The ITA apologizes for the control on Cavallar and assures that the family cooperated during the procedure

After Valentina Cavallar publicly denounced the doping control she was subjected to just hours after the death of her mother, the International Testing Agency (ITA), responsible for the UCI's anti-doping program, has offered its version of events in a statement released on October 14.

The agency confirms that the control took place on September 5, 2026 and asserts that neither the organization nor the agent responsible for collecting the sample were aware of Cavallar's family situation before arriving at her home.

According to the ITA, the agent was informed of the cyclist's mother's death upon arriving at the residence, but the procedure continued because neither Cavallar nor her relatives raised objections or requested to postpone or interrupt the control.

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"According to the information gathered by the ITA, Cavallar and her family fully cooperated with the procedure and did not raise concerns or requests to postpone or interrupt the control, neither at that time nor subsequently," the statement notes.

The organization also defends that, in an exceptionally delicate situation, the agent attempted to conduct the control with the utmost discretion, respect, and speed possible, with the cooperation of the family. 

The agency acknowledges, however, the added suffering that its actions may have caused.

"We fully recognize that undergoing a doping control under these circumstances increased her distress at an extraordinarily painful moment. We have directly contacted the cyclist to apologize to her", explains the ITA.