WADA to investigate Contador?

andyp

www.cycling4all.com are reporting that WADA are set to investigate the relationship, if any, between Alberto Contador and Dr Eufemiano Fuentes based in the documentation supplied to them by German anti-doping expert, Dr Werner Franke.

iainf72

This puzzles me somewhat.

Aren't WADA an organisation responsible for POLICY? Is investigating individuals in their remit?

Or are they investigating whether the UCI fluffed it?

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is the international independent organization created in 1999 to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against doping in sport in all its forms.

Composed and funded equally by the sports movement and governments of the world, WADA coordinated the development and implementation of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), the document harmonizing anti-doping policies in all sports and all countries.

andyp

Personally I think WADA should be encouraged to investigate individuals. Having the same body responsible for both the governing and the promotion of a sport leads to a conflict of interest. Cycling is not alone in instances where this conflict of interests has manifested itself.

I'm not sure I approve of Dick Pound's methods but I've long advocated an independent agency to police doping across all sports so in my view WADA should carry on doing what they see fit.

jimmythecuckoo

If he has cheated, he should be pursued uintil his guilt is proved and he is banned.

iainf72

I think an independant organisation is a good idea, but I don't think WADA is it.

There should be seperation of who makes the policy and who enforces it. There would be a conflict of interest there too if it was one and the same organisation.

And it would be nice to have one rule for all sports.

jimmythecuckoo

iainf72 wrote:

And it would be nice to have one rule for all sports.

that would be brilliant and make some of the golfers/tennis players/rugby players/footballers et al sit up and take notice.

ricadus

I see that the French are now suggesting that New Zealand and English rugby players may be gaining an unfair advantage over them by doping:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/6932702.stm

dave_1

I have little confidence in the winner of any grand tour these days and so I am glad WADA are going to investigate Contador as winning a grand tour is a red flag itself these days sadly.

Kléber

All hypothetical but if Contador ended up being guilty, just how screwed would pro cycling, ASO, the UCI and others be?

lucretius

More importantly regardless of his guilt, will any lessons be learned?

drenkrom

The thing is... If investigation does link him to Fuentes in 2005-2006 but finds no other links to doping after that, does he get stripped of his TdF title? I imagine if I was a Fuentes client that made it through the holes in the net, I'd be a good little boy after that. If authorities fumbled the whole thing and he should not have started the Tour, yet did win it clean, should he lose his title? It's kind of a theoretical question, as I doubt we'll ever have all the facts to answer it, but I still can't decide after debating it over a few pints this weekend.

If he does get nailed, it'll become one hell of a cluster?!@#, that's for sure. I still can't see it as a bad thing when cheaters get caught, though.

jimmythecuckoo

Dave_1 wrote:

I have little confidence in the winner of any grand tour these days and so I am glad WADA are going to investigate Contador as winning a grand tour is a red flag itself these days sadly.

I have little faith in most major sportsmen in most major sports...

afx237vi

drenkrom wrote:

The thing is... If investigation does link him to Fuentes in 2005-2006 but finds no other links to doping after that, does he get stripped of his TdF title? I imagine if I was a Fuentes client that made it through the holes in the net, I'd be a good little boy after that. If authorities fumbled the whole thing and he should not have started the Tour, yet did win it clean, should he lose his title? It's kind of a theoretical question, as I doubt we'll ever have all the facts to answer it, but I still can't decide after debating it over a few pints this weekend.

If he does get nailed, it'll become one hell of a cluster?!@#, that's for sure. I still can't see it as a bad thing when cheaters get caught, though.

It's not a theoretical question because it's already happened. Basso won the Giro and was subsequently banned because of his links to Fuentes, but he can't be stripped of his title because there is no proof he doped in the Giro. Unless you actually test positive during a race, your palmares is pretty safe.

Kléber

It's more a reputational matter. If you deny working with Dr Fuentes right from the beginning, with out even using the classic "he's a good coach and is only designing my training schedule", then it comes out that you have worked with him, you look like a liar with something to hide.

Legally it'd be hard to lose your title but in sporting terms, being the winner of the race would be worthless and you'd be lucky if you're ever invited back.

redddraggon

ricadus wrote:

I see that the French are now suggesting that New Zealand and English rugby players may be gaining an unfair advantage over them by doping:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/6932702.stm

I think that doping would be far lower in rugby than cycling. Ok muscle mass is a bit thing in rugby and steroids helps, but most people who start young in rugby are naturally big - I personally found it impossible to lose weight while playing rugby. I did spend a lot of time on painkillers though with all the knocks.

Cycling is a sport on a different level from rugby, the endurance required to do ~130miles nearly every day for 3 week is massive - I can definitely see the temptation to dope.

Kléber

The quote about French rugby seems like a typical sports hack attempt to take a quote and then use it out of context to hype up a war of words instead of actually bothering to discuss sport. It's the "Jose Mourinho said..." rather than "a swift pass from Robben and Drogba shot with the inside of his right foot to curl the ball etc". It's the same with Formula 1, I know thanks to Radio 5 that Hamilton is feuding with team mate Alonso but I don't know why Hamilton is so good, does he have quick reactions, does he take the best line, does he make no mistakes?

The French coach says he knows that his players are tested a lot but when asked about what goes on abroad, he says he can't be sure. And...? I can't be sure what the French, English or Kiwi dope testing regime because I'm not running it.

Rugby is a pro sport and the prospect of making big money will encourage doping, just as people dope to win 100m sprints or to win field shooting competitions. In rugby, injury is common and maybe a few will be tempted to take short cuts on their way back into the team. I doubt it's as organised as cycling, you don't have shady "preparatore" or whole teams buying banned substances for themselves but it must exist at some level.