Alejandro Valverde's arbitration case has been postponed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, following the inclusion of the International Cycling Union and the World Anti-Doping Agency in the proceedings against the Spanish cyclist.

Valverde is appealing to CAS after the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) issued him with a two-year ban.

CONI's anti-doping tribunal decided the 29-year-old was involved in Operacion Puerto, a case in which more than 50 cyclists were linked to a doping ring centred on a clinic in Madrid.

DNA taken from Valverde during the Italian stage of the 2008 Tour de France matched blood seized in Operacion Puerto.

The UCI and WADA have now joined proceedings against Valverde at CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland - while also initiating their own case "following the refusal of the Spanish Cycling Federation to open a disciplinary procedure".

A statement issued by CAS on Monday read: "In the arbitration procedure Alejandro Valverde v Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has recently admitted the participation of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in the procedure.

"As a consequence, all parties concerned have agreed to postpone the hearing that was initially fixed for November 16, 2009.

"The UCI and WADA will have the opportunity to file written submissions and a new hearing date will be fixed as soon as possible."

The statement added: "Another arbitration procedure that was initiated by the UCI and WADA following the refusal of the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) to open a disciplinary procedure against Alejandro Valverde is also pending before the CAS.

"The hearing in this matter is unlikely to take place before the end of the year."

Valverde won the 2008 and 2009 Dauphine Libere and the 2009 Vuelta a Espana.