Operacion Puerto blood bags ruling could still be three months away

Dozens of drugs cheats treated by the convicted doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes are increasingly unlikely to face prosecution, according to the Spaniard’s lawyer.

More than 200 blood bags were recovered when Fuentes' premises were raided in 2006 as part of Operacion Puerto, which has developed into one of the biggest and longest-running doping scandals in sporting history.

More than 50 of the bags were found to belong to cyclists, but the sources of the others have never been identified.

Fuentes has gone on record as saying tennis players, boxers, athletes and footballers were among his clients, but he has refused to name names.

He went on trial and was convicted of breaking public health laws in April 2013, but Judge Julia Patricia Santamaria also controversially ordered that the blood bags be destroyed.

Multiple sporting and anti-doping organisations appealed against the decision, and a ruling on the appeal had been due to be released at the end of last month.

However, Fuentes' lawyer, Jose Miguel Lledo, told Sky Sports News HQ that the announcement could still be as much as three months away, which will be too late for those seeking to hold the cheats to account.

That is because the World Anti-Doping Agency's (Wada) 10-year statute of limitations dictates that no athlete implicated in the scandal can be prosecuted after this June, meaning that while the cheats may still be named, they will never be punished.

Wada, the Spanish Anti-Doping Agency and the court hearing the case all also told Sky Sports News HQ that they have no idea when the ruling on the appeal will be announced.