From Eurosport:
'Clinical denial' -Pound
In an exclusive Eurosportnews interview with World Anti-
Doping Agency (WADA) president [censored] Pound, the International
Cycling Union (UCI) came under fire for being one of the
only sporting federations to not sign the WADA code.
With less than three months remaining before the Athens
Games, the UCI still has not signed the WADA code, which
would threaten to remove cycling as an Olympic sport.
"The problem with cycling is that they [the UCI] know that
at least one part of the sport, the professional road racing
circuit, has a serious problem," Pound told Eurosportnews.
"And it's that part of the sport that produces most of the
revenues that keep the UCI going."
The strict code sets out uniform rules and sanctions
involving all sports and countries, imposing automatic two-
year bans for doping violations -- a factor to which UCI
president Hein Verbruggen opposes.
"The UCI is reluctant to get into something that may expose
a rider who tests positive to a two-year suspension..."
According to Pound, the drug situation has only gotten worse
in cycling.
Recent revelations of systematic doping involving the
Cofidis and Kelme
teams calling for change in a sport which is gradually
losing credibility.
"You would think that cycling would say: 'this is bad for
our sport. There are constant revelations of systematic
doping among teams. We've got to clean it up'," Pound said.
"But instead their approach has been: 'we do more testing
than anyone else so why are you picking on us'? The fact of
the matter is that no matter how much testing they're
doing, they haven't made progress in stamping out doping
from cycling.
"There is no indication whatsoever that their is less doping
than in the past."
While Pound makes no secret of his strong opinions about
the UCI's efforts in combating doping, riders and the
cycling community alike haven't welcomed his criticisms
with open arms.
Five times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong recently
sent a letter to Pound defending the sport, stating that
doping was not a major concern in cycling.
"I am in the face of every other sport just as much as
cycling," Pound said. "But the problem with cycling is that
there is this clinical denial of a serious problem.
"Cycling complains when riders come forward and say 'this is
what we had to do on our team'. They're dismissed as cranks
instead of people that actually knew what happened. They are
the paths to a possible solution!"