UK/FILE: CYCLE RACING: New anti-doping group Change Cycling Now questions if the Independent Commission set up by the UCI will get to the truth of the Lance Armstrong affair

Record ID: 820207

  • Title: UK/FILE: CYCLE RACING: New anti-doping group Change Cycling Now questions if the Independent Commission set up by the UCI will get to the truth of the Lance Armstrong affair
  • Date: 1st December 2012
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (DECEMBER 1, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHANGE CYCLING NOW, JAIMIE FULLER, TALKING ABOUT THE UCI, SAYING: "There's a culture within the UCI where instead of fighting doping they're too much focused on fighting scandal. And we've had two administrators in the last 22 years running cycling and it's time now for a complete change and it's time t
  • Embargoed: 16th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Switzerland, Netherlands, France, United Kingdom
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA3EA8EJ79QDGO04WNUBX9U8094
  • Story Text: A new anti-doping group Change Cycling Now (CCN) is calling for the independent commission, set up by the International Cycling Union (UCI) to investigate the Lance Armstrong affair, to report to another organisation.
    The UCI said last month it would set up an independent commission to investigate allegations which arose from the United States Anti-doping Agency (USADA) investigation into Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Team, and also to investigate the role of the UCI itself in the scandal.
    It was announced on Friday (November 30) that the former Court of Appeal judge Philip Otton will chair the three-member commission and will work with Britain's 11-times Paralympic champion Tanni Grey-Thompson and Australian lawyer Malcolm Holmes.
    The commission, assembled by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport president John Coates, will be independent from any other sports body, the UCI said. The commission is to hold a hearing in London in April and will submit its report to the UCI by June 1, 2013 or shortly afterwards.
    However CCN's Jaimie Fuller, a cycling sponsor who says his business has been tarnished by the doping scandal, told Reuters he is concerned that UCI is still controlling the process.
    He says that the agenda of issues to be investigated by the commission were drawn up by the UCI, the UCI instigated a commission to investigate the UCI itself, and the conclusions would be delivered to the UCI.
    Fuller would favour the whole process being administered by another organisation such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
    "In my opinion it's not a genuine, honest attempt for transparency," Fuller said. "It's about identifying certain things and saying go and look at those and check those documents but frankly I'd rather have seen a more independent process put together.
    "Whether it should be handled through WADA or some other entity it does need to be at arm's length and I don't believe this investigation is arm's length."
    CCN, made up of former professional cyclists, doping experts and journalists, has criticised the UCI over the Lance Armstrong scandal.
    It was announced earlier this week three-times Tour de France winner Greg LeMond has joined CCN along with Armstrong's former team mate Jonathan Vaughters who are both in London this weekend for the inaugural meeting.
    The group meets in London this weekend to "discuss a roadmap for global change, including the requirement for a fundamental shift in cycling's world governance and the implementation of independent anti-doping controls," CCN said in a statement.
    For Fuller that change includes the replacement of UCI Honorary President Hein Verbruggen and the UCI President Pat McQuaid.
    "There's a culture within the UCI where instead of fighting doping they're too much focused on fighting scandal and we've had two administrators in the last 22 years running cycling. And it's time now for a complete change and it's time to change the culture within the UCI and that includes removing the head of the UCI and bringing in somebody who isn't scared of what's going on and being transparent," Fuller said.
    The USADA report found that Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Service team "ran the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen" and subsequently stripped the U.S. rider of his seven Tour de France titles and banned him for life, a decision which has been ratified by the UCI.
    Fuller says the UCI failed to detect the abuse and so failed to stop Armstrong operating his doping programme.
    "As far as Lance Armstrong is concerned, in my opinion he was enabled through either corrupt practice or incompetence within the UCI to be able to do what he did," Fuller said.
    The Australian added that Armstrong should come forward and reveal the full truth because if he does not the Olympic medallist would be in danger of losing his integrity.
    "There is no question we have to have the truth and whether that be for Lance Armstrong or whether it be for the sport no question," he said. "He has to come out and tell the truth and I think just as a man I think Lance is in for a really rough ride if he doesn't come out and confess and tell all. It's going to be very hard for him to keep his integrity and be able to look in the mirror if he continues to lie the way he does."
    Fuller has a financial interest in cycling in his capacity as chairman of sportswear company Skins. He says he has donated the equivalent of around 6.2million to UCI in sponsorship in the past five years.
    Skins has recently claimed around 1.25m in compensation, alleging its reputation has been damaged by the governing body's actions.
    When asked if unearthing more scandals could lead to further sponsors pulling out of the sport or starting legal action Fuller was adamant what had to be done.
    "If we cover this up and if we don't dig into the heart of it and we don't excise the infection that that we need to excise then absolutely it's going to get a lot worse," he said.
    "The best way forward for this sport is to be able to go into it and really root out the problem now. Doesn't matter how bad it is let's get it out, let's all understand what's been going on; who knew what and when? What did they do about it? What didn't they do about it? "Let's clean it out and then we can let it repair and go forward with the right management and with the right culture.
    "My objective is to be able to clean it up and bring back the sponsors and bring back the fans and bring back the riders the way that they want to come into it and most particularly look at the health and the long term effects of doping on the cyclists themselves. It's inexcusable for this to be allowed to happen."
    Fuller disagrees with the zero-tolerance policy adopted by professional cycling teams, such as Team Sky and GreenEdge, saying it is not the right approach in order to resolve the issue.
    Team Sky released Bobby Julich and Steven de Jongh from their contracts after they admitted to doping in the past while GreenEdge sacked their former directeur sportif Matt White.
    "Certainly from here on in a very hard stance needs to be taken," Fuller said. "However where I disagree with them (Team Sky and GreenEdge) is what's happened in the past.
    "Because if this zero-tolerance policy looking backwards will only encourage further omerta (a vow of silence), a culture of omerta and a culture of lies.
    "There's no way in the world that we're going to get to the bottom of what's been going on unless we're encouraging these dopers and these ex-dopers to come out and feel safe and tell us their story."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register