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UCI is currently unable to express any judgement .................



 
 
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Old September 9th 05, 11:07 PM
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Default UCI is currently unable to express any judgement .................


http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/8852.0.html

Press Release - Full text of UCI statement regarding Armstrong case
This report filed September 9, 2005
09/09/2005: UCI DECLARATION : 1999 Tour de France samples analysis
As we announced on Monday, August 29, 2005, the Union Cycliste
Internationale ("UCI") is undertaking an investigation into the recent press
reports from France. The article published by the French newspaper L'Equipe
concerned testing apparently conducted by a French laboratory of urine
samples from the 1999 Tour de France. Our initial investigation has
identified a great many issues and we are in the process of gathering the
information we need. The UCI is currently unable to express any judgement on
these cases, as it does not have sufficient information.

The UCI has not, to date, received any official information or document.

WADA believes that they have no jurisdiction over this matter, given that it
apparently relates to urine samples collected in 1999, before WADA was
created. Moreover, WADA has told the UCI that on the basis of the reports of
the research done and methods used in this case, no disciplinary procedure
could be opened against the riders concerned and that in their view, the
organization responsible for investigating is the UCI. In light of WADA's
position on this matter, the UCI has assumed all responsibility for
investigating the matter. WADA has stated its willingness to assist the UCI
with its investigation

We have substantial concerns about the impact of this matter on the
integrity of the overall drug testing regime of the Olympic movement, and in
particular the questions it raises over the trustworthiness of some of the
sports and political authorities active in the anti-doping fight. The UCI
reiterates that at this point we have no information at all about the
testing apparently done in Châtenay-Malabry, who authorized or commissioned
that testing, the reason for the testing or the manner in which the testing
was conducted.

We have sent letters to WADA, as well as an initial questionnaire to the
French laboratory, seeking comprehensive information about the background
facts and what brought about the situation that we are investigating.
Amongst the significant questions we have, the most important which remain
unanswered are the following:

Who commissioned and directed this research and who agreed to the public
dissemination of the results?

a.. How could this be done without the riders' consent?
b.. Why was the UCI not informed?
c.. How is it that the journalist apparently received WADA's official
reaction on the possibility of continuing the research with the remaining
urine samples, and on possible sanctions, on 22 August (see l'Equipe's
article of 23 August), when WADA apparently received the information on
these results only on 24 August?
d.. The dissemination of the results being a breach of WADA's anti-doping
code, did WADA itself authorise this step?
e.. Has this apparent research on the 1999 Tour de France been widened to
other sports events in France in the same year (Roland Garros, football
World Cup) - why was the Tour de France chosen?

Awaiting plausible answers, the UCI confirms its commitment to investigate
how and why confidential information was disclosed to members of the news
media. In particular, we deplore the fact that the long-established and
entrenched confidentiality principle could be violated in such a flagrant
way, without any respect for fair play and the rider's privacy. This aspect
forms part of our thorough and vigorous investigation into this matter.

We regret once more, that WADA's President Mr. Pound made public statements
about the likely guilt of an athlete on the basis of a newspaper article and
without all the facts being known, and we appreciate that WADA's
Vice-President Mr. Mikkelsen has stepped in to state that Mr. Pound's
allegations were unwise.

As for the article itself, the author claims to have been working on the
story for four months, when in fact it seems that his "investigation" was
limited to receiving confidential information related to testing conducted
by the laboratory and confidential doping control documents, including
confidential documents which he was able to consult at the UCI after
receiving, under false pretext, the authorization of Lance Armstrong . His
subsequent public statements tend to confirm that he was targeting a
particular athlete and that the newspaper was only given doping control
forms relating to this athlete.

We are awaiting information that we have requested from WADA and the
laboratory, and we may be seeking information from the French Ministry of
Sports and others. Once we have received all of the documents that exist
about the testing and the disclosure of information, and depending on the
cooperation we receive from the individuals and organizations involved, we
are aiming to conclude our investigation as soon as possible.

Finally, the UCI wishes to express the wish that governments, sports
authorities and anti-doping authorities, which rightly expect honest and
irreproachable ethical behaviour from sports men and women, themselves
respect the fundamental obligation of fair play and examine possible
sanctions which could be adopted, should infractions be discovered on the
part of any of those bodies.





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