Paris -The twice-postponed doping hearing concerning Spanish three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador will take place from November 21-24, world sport's top court The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Saturday.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and world cycling's governing body UCI are appealing against the Spanish cycling federation's (RFEC) decision to acquit 28-year-old Contador over a failed doping case.
The case was originally due to be heard before CAS in Lausanne from June 6-8 in order to have the decision before the start of the Tour de France on July 2.
But Contador's defence team was granted a delay until August and was again postponed then.
Contador tested positive for a tiny amount of the banned muscle-building substance clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour de France, which he went on to win.
But he was cleared to compete when the RFEC rescinded an initial decision to hand down a one-year competition ban, accepting the rider's claim that he had unknowingly consumed drug-contaminated meat and was therefore not negligent.
Contador - who if found guilty will have his 2010 Tour de France victory taken away and his Tour of Italy triumph this year - finished fifth in this year's Tour.