The head office of the Italian company WINNING SRL, owner of this team, was also searched, confirmed the prosecution, which communicated for the first time in recent days on the investigation opened since 2021 for "violations of the legislation on doping and on poisonous substances.

Thursday morning, the Bahrain team announced that it had been the subject of a new search, at its hotel, on the eve of the start of the Tour de France in Copenhagen, at the request of French investigators, after searches in recent days at homes of several team members.

"Between June 27 and 30, 2022, international judicial and police cooperation action was carried out jointly in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia and Denmark," said the Marseille prosecutor's office.

"This action, coordinated by Eurojust and carried out with the assistance of Europol, has enabled the judicial and police authorities of the countries concerned to carry out several searches at the homes of the manager, three riders, the osteopath and a doctor of the BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS professional cycling team, as well as at the headquarters of the company WINNING SRL, owner of the team", he added in a press release.

“A search of the hotel rooms occupied by the members of the cycling team in Copenhagen was also carried out today”, also indicated the French justice.

If the Bahrain team affirmed Thursday morning that no object had been seized during the search at the hotel, the Marseille public prosecutor's office specifies that "electronic equipment (telephones, computers, hard drives) and medicines whose nature and origin remain undetermined or whose delivery is subject to prescription have been seized" during the various searches.

The Belgian rider of the Bahrain Victorious team, Dylan Teuns, during the fourth stage time trial of the Critérium du Dauphiné, between Montbrison and La Batie d'Urfe, June 8, 2022 Marco BERTORELLO AFP / Archives

“All of these seizures will be the subject of subsequent analysis and exploitation,” he continued.

The Danish police officially confirmed this search in the hotel located in Bröndby, "on the basis of a rogatory commission at the request of the French authorities".

French police officers were present as observers, she said.

The Italian Damiano Caruso, second in the Giro 2021, the Slovenian Matej Mohoric and the Belgian Dylan Teuns, already winners of stages on the Tour, are the most famous riders of the group aligned on the Tour de France alongside the Australian Jack Haig, third in the last Vuelta.

"Officers searched all team vehicles, staff and riders' rooms," Bahrain said of the search carried out in Copenhagen on Thursday.

"The team is now looking forward to focusing on the greatest cycling race in the world, the Tour de France".

"To date, the team has not been informed of the progress, the results or has not received any feedback on the investigation from the Marseille prosecutor's office," Bahrain said, regretting "the damage to the reputation of individuals and the team".

Following the search carried out in Pau during the last week of the Tour de France 2021, leaks had revealed last October that traces of tizanidine, a powerful muscle relaxant used against multiple sclerosis (but not prohibited by anti-doping regulations ), had been found in the hair analyzes of several runners.

The Bahraini team had denied having been informed and the laboratory had not confirmed the identities of the cyclists concerned.

A Bahrain team coach outside the hotel in Glostrup, Denmark, where the cycling team was raided again on June 30, 2022 Bo Amstrup Ritzau Scanpix/AFP

In the team lined up for the 2022 Tour, Mohoric, Teuns and Briton Fred Wright are the only riders in the formation who were still in the race last year when Pau was searched.

© 2022 AFP