Sport
Astana shakes off doping scandal ahead of Tour de France
Updated 1041 GMT (1841 HKT) August 24, 2015
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Astana's main man Vincenzo Nibali won the Tour de France in 2014. Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan. It's also the name of the country's professional road cycling team. Stanislav Filippova/AFP/Getty Images/file
Founded in 2007, Astana is sponsored by Kazakhstan's Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk Kazyna. Stanislav Filippova/AFP/Getty Images/file
Nibali took the lead in the 2014 Tour de France after winning the second stage in Sheffield, England. Lionel Bonadventure/AFP/Getty Images
But Astana's entry into cycling has not been without bumps, and the team has been embroiled in its fair share of doping scandals. Eric Feferbert/AFP/Getty Images/file
Nibali -- here congratulated by his teammates after completing his victory in Paris -- has brought Astana kudos since joining in 2013.. Lionel Bonadventure/AFP/Getty
The Italian (center) is free to defend his title in July after Astana was allowed to keep its racing license despite a series of doping scandals, the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced on April 23, 2015. ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images
The UCI's independent license commission said Astana has committed to "undergo a fundamental reform in order to prevent the risks of doping."
Nibali (center in yellow) started the 2014 season with confidence after winning the Giro D'Italia in his first year at the Kazakh team. JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Image
Nibali, pictured during the 14th stage of the 2014 Tour de France, is one of only six cyclists to have won all three of the sport's major races. LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Image
An Astana mechanic cleans the chain of a bicycle before a training session on one of the two rest days of the 2009 Tour de France. Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images/file
Astana's general manager Alexandre Vinokourov won a gold medal for Kazakhstan at the London 2012 Olympic Games. He tested positive for banned substances in 2007 and nearly quit cycling for good.
Shamed cyclist Lance Armstrong made his 2009 comeback with Kazakhstan's Astana Pro Team. He stayed just one season -- finishing third at the Tour de France in a result later annulled due to his doping -- before joining Team Radioshack. Bryn Lennon/Getty Image
As well as its Tour de France-winning team, the Kazakhstan capital's bulging, science fiction-like skyline has helped win the country international recognition. Pictured here is the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (center) and the Shabyt Palace of Art (right). AFP/Getty Images
Baiterek, Astana's "Tree of Life" -- a 100-meter-tall tower -- has drawn comparisons to a giant lollipop. AFP/Getty Images
An aerial view of the city of Astana, taken on July 28, 2011. It was known as Akmola until 1998, renamed Tselinograd under Soviet rule from 1961-1992, and before that was called Akmolinsk. AFP/Getty Images
In December 1997, Kazakhstan's president Nursultan Nazarbayev moved the capital from Almaty in the southeast of the country to Akmola. The city's Central Concert Hall is pictured. AFP/Getty Images
The presidential palace was designed to resemble the White House in Washington D.C. Getty Images
The Shabyt Palace of Art is the most remarkable part of the Kazakh National University of Arts. AFP/Getty Images
Inside the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation. Courtesy Foster + Partners
Much of Astana's modern architecture is striking in its scale and design, especially in contrast to the vast, open steppes that surround it. AFP/Getty Images
Staff carry the 2022 Winter Olympic bid files of Almaty, Kazakhstan on January 6, 2015 at the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC will make a final decision in July 2015. Kazakhstan is also planning to bid for football's 2026 World Cup. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Image
