Ullrich looks set to keep Sydney 2000 Olympic medals

GERMANY'S Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France winner, looks set to keep his medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics despite allegations of doping.

GETTING OFF: Jan Ullrich looks set to keep his 2000 Olympic medals despite continued doping rumours (Getty Images)

The 36-year-old claimed road race gold and individual time trial silver nine years ago but is currently under investigation from the International Olympic Committee.

IOC president Jacques Rogge has also confirmed that his association would continue to support the world cycling governing body, UCI.

Rogge revealed that the IOC has studied a report from the Freiburg University Clinic Commission, as well as more than 2000 pages of documents from the German Bundeskriminalamt [Federal Police].

Those documents still need to be translated from German in order for the IOC's Disciplinary Committee to study them - something expected to happen before the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics next February - but it is expected Ullrich will not be stripped of his medals.

In 2006, Ullrich was suspended and later lost his job from T-Mobile for his involvement in the Operacion Puerto scandal and announced his retirement in February 2007.

"From the sport side we have no evidence that is strong enough - nothing that we could call a smoking gun," said Rogge, interviewed by German news magazine Die Welt.

"There are no reports of possession of drugs or doping preparations. There is much speculation, but in the end, you can suspend someone only with conclusive evidence."

Rogge went on to conclude that doping in cycling is a problem that must be ironed out but insisted the UCI would continue to receive support from the IOC.

"Cycling has a doping problem. There is no doubt about that," he added. "There are two reasons for it: the number of races and the fact that cycling is possibly the hardest endurance sport there is.

"As long as a federation really undertakes a maximum of measures against doping, we must support them. And we have to protect the clean athletes."

The only positive test in Ullrich's career was for out-of-competition amphetamine use, for which he was suspended in 2002.