very interesting interview by de Ceaurriz (in german)

[Benjamin Werner]

(Jacques de Ceaurriz is the head of the anti-doping lab)


It's here :

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/weitere/artikel/388/59329/6/

I just translated parts in french, but it's too late to do the same for
rbr now. So in short :

The guy sounds *very* sure of himself. He says the reexamination were
asked for by wada, that his lab did not know the names, that the tests
were completed a few days ago, that l'Equipe's job seems solid to him.
He says DNA tests should be feasible on the remaining samples if
necessary (for a tribunal for instance). For 80 remaining 1999 samples,
12 were positive. For 98, it were 40 positives out of 70.

I can't resist to translate the last questions/answers :

Q : Have contacted a lawyer ?

A : We employ some for difficult cases.

Q : Like this one ?

A : But this is not a difficult case. There is no ambiguity and the
facts are very clear. We have had much more difficult times here, like
before the soccer world cup of 98, when we had discovered nandrolon in
samples of french and other players.

Q : So you are used to deal with deception ?

A : Yes, but in this case it seems that these results are not usable for
the current sportive jurisdiction.


Cheers,


Benjamin

 

[[email protected]]

A : Yes, but in this case it seems that these results are not usable
for
the current sportive jurisdiction.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

NO SANCTIONS FOR LANCE.
so where is the story? he doped...ok, but if you can
prove he doped, you should be able to punish him,
which they are unable to do.
it's all this hypothetical ********, and the main point
is smearing his name in history, so the french can
tell their children:
"yes armstrong won more tours than
Hinault or Anquitel, BUT he was a dirty doper!"
it's very *****, I can't think of a better word.
French riders were on EPO too, and they still
got hammered.

 

[Tom Kunich]

Yes Mike, but indeed we don't know that this test was reliable.

Most especially since only 12 of the 80 samples were positive. If Lance
were indeed taking EPO and if he were positive in the first and second
stage AND LATER STAGES. Why wouldn't he have tested positive in the
remaining stages? EPO clears fairly rapidly but we're talking days not
hours.

As Bill pointed out there are a lot of questions about the present EPO
test.

The really big question here is the L'Equipe article containing
information that apparently the testing laboratory didn't have. This
implies that it was WADA who leaked the information to the press.
Strangely enough, WADA's executive board are all very highly thought of
people with substantial qualifications and a great deal to lose if they
ignore their legal responsibilities. This hardly seems like the sort of
thing that could happen with any of the members thereon.

So some subordinate was paid off. And will doubtlessly be looking for
work in some other career field when discovered.