Philcycling (Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines) on Thursday expressed its full backing of Ariana Evangelista after the female mountain biker failed a doping test during the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The country’s cycling federation said in a statement that it was “unfortunate” that Evangelista was handed a provisional suspension after she tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO), a banned performance-enhancing substance.

“It is unfortunate that one of our finest riders in MTB, Ariana Evangelista, is PROVISIONALLY suspended for Adverse Analytical Findings or AAFs,” Philcycling said after the results were released by the International Testing Agency.

“The PhilCyclin…

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