The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has confirmed that DNA analysis of blood and plasma seized from Eufemiano Fuentes' Madrid clinic in 2006 has identified 11 athletes involved in Operacion Puerto. However, due to the legal statute of limitations, the players (10 males and 1 female) cannot be identified.

Insidethegames.com and other media outlets reported that the recently released WADA 2018 Annual Report confirmed that the WADA Intelligence and Investigations Unit's investigation into this long-running saga has concluded.

In July, it was reported that WADA had collected 35 DNA samples from the 200 or so bags of frozen blood and plasma seized from the Fuentes clinic.

The analysis was finally completed after months of work by the organization's Intelligence and Investigation Unit, including documents, police reports, and interviews with experts.

"Through this process, a total of 11 athletes were identified as clients of Dr. Fuentes," the WADA report states.

"However, the names can no longer be released because the 10-year statute of limitations has expired.

In its report, WADA noted the organization's frustration at the "very limited and disappointing results" of its inability to sanction any of the athletes involved.

WADA investigators attempted to compare the DNA profiles with those of control samples already on file at one of the WADA-accredited anti-doping laboratories.

According to L'Equipe, WADA's chief investigator Günter Jänger told the WADA executive committee in May 2018 that "seven athletes were identified," including four active athletes and three retired athletes.The four were tested for anti-doping between November 2017 and April 2018 ... and the results were all negative.

Current world champion Alejandro Valverde (open in new tab) (Movistar) is the only one of the three riders involved in the scandal still racing and the only professional rider sanctioned as a result of the Operación Puerto Francisco Mancebo and Osvaldo Osvaldo are the only two riders involved in the scandal. Francisco Mancebo and Oscar Sevilla race in Japan and Colombia, respectively.

Valverde was sanctioned three years after the scandal broke, when the Italian National Olympic Committee matched samples taken at the 2008 Tour de France with plasma seized in a raid. Valverde, who finished second in this year's Vuelta a España, returned to racing in 2012.

Other cyclists associated with Puerto include Jan Ulrich, Ivan Basso, Thomas Dekker, Jörg Jakusch, Santiago Botero, and Tyler Hamilton.

Rumors persisted that a number of soccer and tennis players were also involved, but no official names of athletes from either sport have been mentioned.