Tour de France - WADA chief: Contador a 'doping cheat'
WADA president John Fahey has labelled Alberto Contador a "doping cheat" and said the Spanish rider might have escaped with half of his two-year doping ban had it not been for remarks by a Spanish politician during the case.
The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency added that politicians should steer clear of doping cases and said he was worried as to whether national sports federations, who have the responsibility to discipline offenders, might be sympathetic to their own athletes.
"I think that governments and politicians ought to stand back and stay above the administration of these issues when it comes to doping in sport," Fahey told Reuters in an interview.
"Contador is a doping cheat, full stop."
In January last year, the Spanish Cycling Federation initially proposed a one-year ban for Contador after he tested positive for the banned steroid clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour de France, which he won.
The then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said there was no legal reason to sanction Contador and shortly afterwards, the RFEC overturned the ban, clearing the way for Contador to return to competition.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) and WADA then appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who announced a two-year ban for Contador on Monday.
"I can say with regard to the Contador decision, it was regrettable that, when the Spanish federation proposed a 12-month penalty, a senior politician made a statement to say that Contador was innocent," said Fahey, who did not mention Zapatero by name.
"They then withdrew their proposed 12-month penalty and exonerated him, that effectively meant that WADA had no choice but to appeal.
"Whatever we would have done if the 12 months had stood, I can't say, but after those set of circumtances came, which suggested there was clearly a bias, certainly by the senior politician who made that statement publicly, then we had to appeal."
Fahey said he could not think of any alternative to the current system where doping punishments are handed out by the relevant national sports federation.
"I have great respect for CAS, I worry about decisions of individual national federations where it comes to dealing with their own sportsmen and women who have tested positive, because clearly the temptation must be there to protect one of your own," he said.
"I don't know the alternative. I can't imagine that Spain would say to Italy, you deal with all Spanish positives and we'll deal with all Italians, I think hell will freeze over first.
"I can certainly understand where there must be a certain level of national element, particularly if its a national hero.
"You can only hope that the bodies that deal with it at whatever level do so with integrity. The good thing about the (anti-doping) code is that it allows WADA to examine every decision that is taken and to appeal if it believes the decision wasn't taken for proper reasons."
Comment 21 - 40 of 40
Contador has been found guilty of doping with actual evidence. Therefore the WADA chief can call him a doper all he likes as the truth has been found out. Those criticising Fahey should be having a go at the cheat who took drugs to enhance his performance and win the Tour de France.
post 39, contador was the only rider to be given that particular test, it is more than likely his teammates would have tested positive also as CAS believe the positive came from a food supplement and is highly his whole team used the same thing. wada has always been anti-cycling and this just shows that sentiment
@zivac5 That was in Mexico, where clenbuterol is much more common in meat, and it was easy to prove where it had come from. It was also, as you have noted, found in several team members as teams tend to dine together during such events. If it had come from meat, then why did nobody else in his team have anything in their system? Surely they all ate together?
According to Wikipedia:
In June 2011, players of the Mexico national football team were found with clenbuterol in their bloodstream but were acquitted by WADA after they claimed the clenbuterol came from contaminated food. FIFA have also claimed that 109 players from the Under 17 World Cup in Mexico tested positive for this drug, claiming that Mexican meat is contaminated.
Mr. WADA president John Fahey if this is true, we need answer...
"Contador is a doping cheat, full stop." The words of WADA chief, John Fahey. That single statement alone has lost Fahey any credibility he may have had. That statement reflects a personal opinion and is insulting. It is not the place of a top official to publically express such self opinion.
@tigger why would an Australian feel inadequate as a 'minor nation' and have to 'shout above his weight'. You do realise Evans is Australian? Not to mention their countless other achievements in several sports? (I'm not Australian by the way.)
#30
I doubt it! WADA have already dropped development of the test saying it's not economical or accurate enough for prosecution of possible offenders.
If he goes down the line you're suggesting his own organisation are against him!
He's just a lunatic who said the wrong thing!
contador first nadal next...
Holier than thou Lance Armstrong fans beware (and this is not knocking Lance's achievements, which I've always said were won on a level playing field). The USADA (i.e. the guys who report to the guy making this statement) are salivating over the Freedom of Inofrmation act requiring disclosure of the evidence in the federal case. The US Gov't may not be willing to go after Lance, but the WADA folks have put a bullseye on him and -for the reason tigger mentioned in # 32- will dance on his 'grave' if they get to 'take him down'.
There's probably a reason many of the officials around the world in many sports are from minor countries (Ireland, Australia, etc.) , and that is because, since they will feel so inadequate, they will allow their mouths to fight above their weight.
when will those @#$% adds with that b**** rihannnna
be taken down .
eurosport take them the @#$% down
cant check the results without being annoyed by her stupid face
as she could be the most annoying , media @#$% going
that showes the state of music nowadays
aday without hearing rihanna on the radio at work is a god sent
After my previous post I just realized why Fahey is making this statement. He's trying to get Contador and his legal team to sue him and WADA so, at a civil trial, he can introduce the plasticizer evidence that he wasn't allow to introduce at the CAS. If that' the case, he's either brilliant or raving.
Is Contador a cheat? We all have backsides as we all have opinions.
In last years world aquatic championships in China tainted meat was such a potential major problem to the athletes that Shanghai authorities were asked to provide a list of restaurants where athletes were guaranteed they could eat safely. Check the news if you don't believe me. Do a search on "Contaminated meat a worry at Shanghai". Steroid use has been linked to cattle and pig raising in China and a recent study by a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited lab in Cologne, Germany, found that 22 of 28 travelers returning from China tested positive for low levels of clenbuterol.
Granted, nothing to do with Contador, just highlighting what may be.
If you are just a tourist, fine. If you are an athlete. Oh dear.
With Fahey's libelous statement, Contador just probably earned a nice lifetime annuity. Full stop. Courtesy of WADA's insurer.
so mr fahey, you are putting alberto contador in same bracket as ricardo ricco, alas you are mistaken. ricco IS a proven cheat and been proved guilty of cheating even going as far as attempting his own diy blood transfusion, which nearly killed him, contador on the otherhand, has been found guilty on what can only be described as a very feeble technicality of rules. its quite obvious that he was a target and singled out for special treatment i.e samples sent to this laboratory in cologne, which found levels well below the threshold level for performance enhancing use. pat mcquaid claims cycling has been damaged by this matter, indeed it has and thats thanks to you mr mcquaid. as for mr fahey, well to say he is head of wada, is very worrying indeed, if his comments today are anything to go by, they ( mcquaid and fahey) wouldn't be out of place in the salem witch hunt trials or even as prosecutors against joan of arc.
Somebody is lying.
maybe he could have chosen his words better but if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck......
Aussies are known for speaking their mind and that does not make Fahey any different.
However that does not mean he has the right to call people cheats especially if it is a case that is definitely going to be appealled!!!
If you don`t take it, you don`t make it. Sad but true.
John Fahey either needs to give a satisfactory reason for his statement or leave his resignation letter & office keys at the front desk!
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