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Wiggins riding Arc de TriompheDamning report from MPs slams Team Sky and Sir Bradley Wiggins
A report published today by a parliamentary committee examining doping in sport has given a damning verdict on Team Sky, concluding that it crossed an “ethical line” in using drugs not just for medical need but also to enhance riders’ performance, including ahead of the 2012 Tour de France when Sir Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win cycling’s biggest race.
That latter finding has been strongly contested by the British UCI WorldTour outfit, which said in a statement issued this morning that it is “surprised and disappointed” that the committee decided “to present an anonymous and potentially malicious claim in this way, without presenting any evidence or giving us an opportunity to respond,” which it said was “unfair both to the team and to the riders in question.”
In a post to Twitter published shortly after the report's release at midnight, Wiggins said: "I find it so sad that accusations can be made, where people can be accused of things they have never done which are then regarded as facts. I strongly refute the claim that any drug was used without medical need. I hope to have my say in the next few days and put my side across."
Entitled Combatting Doping In Sport, the report released by the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee follows an inquiry initially set up in August 2015 in response to articles in The Sunday Times regarding allegations of doping in athletics.
The scope widened to include cycling following the publication by the Fancy Bears hacking group of following the Rio 2016 of information relating to the use of Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) by Wiggins and other riders.
Copies of certificates published by the group showed that Wiggins used the corticosteroid triamcinolone ahead of key races including the 2012 Tour de France. It has been claimed he used the drug to treat his asthma.
However, the report published today casts doubt on that assertion. It states: “From the evidence that has been received by the committee, we believe that this powerful corticosteroid was being used to prepare Bradley Wiggins, and possibly other riders supporting him, for the Tour de France.
“The purpose of this was not to treat medical need, but to improve his power-to-weight ratio ahead of the race. The application for the TUE for the triamcinolone for Bradley Wiggins, ahead of the 2012 Tour de France, also meant that he benefited from the performance-enhancing properties of this drug during the race.
“This does not constitute a violation of the World Anti-Doping Agency code, but it does cross the ethical line that [Sir] David Brailsford says he himself drew for Team Sky. In this case, and contrary to the testimony of David Brailsford in front of the committee, we believe that drugs were being used by Team Sky, within the Wada rules, to enhance the performance of riders, and not just to treat medical need.”
Key support riders working for Wiggins at the 2012 Tour de France included Chris Froome, who has won four of the five subsequent editions of the race, Michael Rogers, who has since retired, and Richie Porte, now with BMC Racing. Current Team Sky rider Geraint Thomas missed the race since he was preparing to ride the team pursuit at the London Olympics.
The report highlights written evidence from a whistleblower described as “well respected within the cycling community and [who] held a senior position at Team Sky at the time of the events under investigation,” and who stated their belief that “TUEs were used tactically by the team to support the health of a rider with an ultimate aim of supporting performance.”
Regarding the Jiffy Bag delivered to former Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman at the 2011 Criterium du Dauphiné containing medicine for Wiggins, the committee notes that there was no verifiable source for the assertion that it contained the legal decongestant, fluimucil, noting that “to many people, the whole story of the package seems implausible, to say the least.”
The package, and the use of TUEs, were the subject of an inquiry by UK Anti-doping (UKAD) last year which concluded that in the absence of medical records kept by Team Sky and British Cycling, it was impossible to determine what was inside it.
But today’s report states that “an allegation was made to UKAD, and has been seen by the committee, that says it was triamcinolone,” which if true, would have constituted an anti-doping rule violation.
“We do not believe there is reliable evidence that it was Fluimucil as Dr Freeman will not now confirm it was and, previously, he was the only reported source of this information,” the report continued.
“The mystery surrounding the delivery of the package, and the extraordinary lengths to which Team Sky went to obtain an easily available drug delivered to them, have also fuelled speculation as to what the package might have contained.
“There remains no documented evidence as to what was in the package. If the package contained triamcinolone, which we know Bradley Wiggins, or his team, wanted him to take around 30 May 2011, and it was indeed taken, then the impacts and consequences on all concerned would have been profound.”
The report says: “Responsibility for the continued doubt on this matter rests on British Cycling, Team Sky and the individuals concerned, all of whom have failed to keep simple records.
“Such failure was unprofessional and inexcusable, and that failure is responsible for the damaging cloud of doubt which continues to hang over this matter.”
The report is highly critical of Brailsford. It says he “must take responsibility for these failures, the regime under which Team Sky riders trained and competed and the damaging scepticism about the legitimacy of his team’s performance and accomplishments.”
Since the committee concluded gathering its evidence, Team Sky has been further rocked by the revelation in December that Froome returned an adverse analytical finding for twice the permitted level of the anti-asthma drug salbutamol at last year’s Vuelta, which he won. That case is still ongoing.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- grOg 3 sec ago
Where does it state in the article that Ashley purchased the stock? it does state that Ashley bought the brand and intellectual property, not the...
- rogerwb 2 hours 40 min ago
Jump off the bike and run across. I cycle in trainers though.
- momove 3 hours 43 min ago
Cheers for the lesson! Wasn't expecting one so was pleasantly surprised, especially getting to find the origin of "laconic"!
- ktache 4 hours 30 min ago
Isn't it a rights issue?
- AidanR 5 hours 20 min ago
Same here - it took me by surprise. 10:30am doesn't feel like a dangerous time to cycle; apparently I'm wrong on that.
- Daddy Feebs 5 hours 33 min ago
If anything, it looks a bit like an SL6
- wtjs 6 hours 9 min ago
Other commenters have different views True!
- Daclu Trelub 6 hours 24 min ago
Incredibly bone-headed.
- Sriracha 8 hours 26 min ago
Lidl have a window poster emblazoned, "Black Friday. Starts Sunday".
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67 comments
Seems to be missing British Cycling out of the mix - unfortunately they've invested in / skimmed off the medal factory so it wouldn't do right to question that part...
Yawn.
"It was all within the rules" is amusingly reminiscent of the MPs expenses scandal.
But that was about something that actually mattered. At least this is only sport. Maybe it's a good thing if people get their unethical behaviour out of their system on something that doesn't have any effect on the real world?
Fuckin hell some of you here could get a job with Fox News with all this denial and whataboutery. Go look at Cyclingtips, most commenters there are agreed Wiggins cheated.
The parlimentry select comitee has stated that BW and Sky didn't break any rules, but their message implies that BW is a cheat. They can lonly get away with this because they are protected from a civil action for defamation of character. However this then opens the door for the media to plaster headlines that suggest BW is a drugs cheat and get away with it with no risk of legal action.
The whole idea of what is ethical or not is ridiculess. One person's idea of what is unethical will be different from another's. What is generally considered as ethical or unethical changes over the years. Sports need to have rules which need to be adhered to. It's the only workable way. If the rules don't work they need to be changed so that they do.
This is an issue for the UCI and WADA. If they're not happy with the rules then they can change them. However if BW hasn't broken their rules then it's out of order for a group of MPs to drag his name and reputation through the mud. I was listening to the report on the radio yesterdat morning with my wife who, like the public at large, doesn't understand the ins and outs of this case, and for her it appeared as if BW is a drug cheat. So that's how Joe public will see it. Disgraceful really.
Quite right, and if anyone is unethical it is those who smear someone's reputation without due cause. MPs for instance; glass houses anyone?
I can just imagine the tone of comments had similar conclusions been reached in an investigation into a Spanish or an Italian team.
But no, we don’t cheat, we’re British.
Grandstanding politicians, use of ‘ethical’when you can’t find hard proof , a Burning desire to bring down those who are successful , relying on anonymous sources from disaffected former employees , a disgraceful smear ....nothing new to see here , clean your own stable first before lecturing the rest of us on ethics , pass the sick bag .
"Professional sport" - an oxymoron really. Consider this opinion from a journalist familiar with the history of modern "sport".
"Performance-enhancing drugs in sport need to be suppressed for three reasons. They can damage an athlete’s physical health, especially important when their bodies are still growing. Once past a certain threshold, they corrupt the whole sport, as happened with professional cycling in the 90s, when no one who did not cheat stood a chance of winning. Perhaps worst of all, they make it seem that the only point of competing is to win. This is a hugely damaging attitude, although it permeates almost all professional and televised sports, where the financial rewards for winners can be quite grotesque. Yet sport has moral or mental benefits as well as physical ones. That’s why the state should encourage mass participation, and most of the people who do that will never be champions. They need to be taught to want to win and how to lose gracefully. Coping with failure while reaching for success ..........".
Many here are victims of the notion that cycling is, firstly, nothing but a sport and, secondly, something that you "must win at". In fact, these assumptions are installations of profit-seeking businesses who want their celebrity-hypnotised consumers to, well, consume. They provide you with the circus but you must pay for their bread. And you do, eh?
All the wannabe Wiggos tearing about on their "racing" bikes. Sad.
Cugel
I'm quite happy tearing about on my racing bike. Quite the opposite of sad actually, it makes me very happy.
There's room for all of us in this tarmaced two wheeled church Brother; bimblers, commuters, MAMILs, even the unethical types like Merckx, Lance and Wiggins.
It seems that some here are under the impression that Wiggins did not have asthma or didn't require preventative treatment for it. Has the select committee report actually said either of those things?
I thought the questionable part was the choice of drug - something with a performance enhancing effect used when something without might have been adequate.
Still think whoever approved the TUE has questions to answer. IMHO they should at the very least sought an independent medical opinion on whether it was justified.
And to suggest that TUEs should not be preventative - I see no reason why someone with an existing, and potentially dangerous condition should not have a TUE to prevent that condition causing problems. I'm not sure that people making that argument really understand much about asthma.
There are TUEs for preventative treatment , and particularly for asthma in the form of sulbutamol. I understand that riders are allowed certain doses and this would appear to be working as I'm not aware of any riders/teams being caught in a scandal where the limits have been pushed to double, in the spirit of the rules. I could be wrong, if anyone knows of riders who have been caught overdoing a preventative TUE...
I'm sorry but if you're obtaining a TUE in order to solely obtain performance enhancing products and without the medical condition to require them then that's doping.
And probably fraud as you're obtaining something for your benefit & by deception.
This is not "within the rules" at all. Not even close.
I think it's safe to sat that Sky have now joined the likes of Festina, Telekom, Rabobank, ONCE, USPS and so on.
I must admit that I always thought that motor doping would be the downfall for Sky!
So you've had access to his medical notes?
As for joining the ranks of those EPO fuelled teams, then you really are deluded, and capped it off by suggesting that Sky would be caught using hidden motors.
Even better is your user name, which was one of the tennis stars allegedly involved in Operation Puerto, where every case involving other sports was brushed under the carpet, with the exception of the cyclists.
Have you had access to his medical notes? No? Thought as much.
I get it; you're a Sky fan but if the systematic abuse of TUE's to improve performance is not doping on a larger than normal scale then it's you who's deluded.
I'm aware who Rafa Nadal is, and the connotations attached, but thanks for the history lesson. Not sure that he spells his name as "Rapha" but we'll let that slide.
This is the paragraph that interests me:
"134. However, UKAD is not—and should not be—solely dependent on public funding. The sports that use its services also contribute, but they vary widely in their support with some of the smaller sports giving a considerably higher percentage of their income than larger ones. Nicole Sapstead said that sports such as football and rugby (especially the amateur leagues) had major problems with doping."
If you look on the UKAD website there are more banned rugby players than any other sport by a long way. Also on the website is information on the number of tests done by sport and the most recent report shows that over the last 12 months British Cycling performed 151 tests. CTT did 48, CTT the body overseeing time trials, are there any professionals involved in time trialling? Meanshile the LTA did 12 drug tests in the same period, that's right tennis with all its millions of pounds did twelve tests.
Meanwhile a bunch of MP's distracted by Russian hackers and the right wing press decide to investigate cycling. I wonder why? Surely their research should have included looking at the UKAD website to target the sports with the worst record, or where testing is being avoided. They even have the UKAD spokesperson pointing them in the direction they need to go.
Utter waste of time.
I stopped reading anything by Will Fotheringham some time ago, wonder if I can get my money back on the books I bought that he wrote?
Whatever we think.. the Sun has made our conclusions for us...
Capturesun.PNG
As far as I can see, everyone involved in this at any level, has egg on their face regardless of "the truth", and there is no clean way out for anyone involved:
Seriously - small kids can think up better, more plausible and honest sounding excuses than that.
If I failed to keep records at work where the data is about things far less sensitive (and certainly not worth the ££££ this data is to competitors) I would be fired like a shot for gross misconduct / incapability or whatever. Didn't hear any of that from Sky?
My Conclusion is: Too much "big business" involved, too much Money at stake, and now, too much time wasted, so it will never be sorted unless someone 'fesses up, or proves the team to be innocent....and that will never happen now surely - especially as politicians are involved!
We just need to grit our teeth and accept the fact that something either wrong or borderline shady has occurred, we will never know what, some people are innocent and wrongly accused, some are guilty as hell but have got away with it, some have hopefully had their sanctions and we just haven't heard about it; hopefully all have learned to toe the line and not do it again.
I believe there is no solution, hence it is a pointless waste of everyone's time and money to pursue it further I think.
The government needs to spend my tax revenue resources pursuing more important matters - raffling the NHS off, or rescuing British trade and industry for example. Sportspersons (generally) need to concentrate on entertaining us - as that is what we (albeit sometimes indirectly) pay them to do.
Can we just ride our bikes now and argue about wearing helmets instead?
This^^
For a team that publicly and vociferously claimed a zero tolerance on doping, a team that measured, recorded and implemented the tiniest of marginal gains, it smacks of corruption at the highest level for their doctor to conveniently lose his memory, his records and his laptop... and for Brailsford to virtually refuse to co-operate with the inquiry.
No rules have been broken though, so that's alright then, carry on.
Think therest other sports that have a bigger doping problem at the moment if you look at the current stats, rugby is one at the top of the list for positive tests. But hardly a mention of that.
Barely a mention about Lord Coes lack of memory, and hardly anything about Mo Farah's use of an injected supplement.
Don't think Sky helped themselves in any way by the management and record keeping in their use of these products.
At the end of the day no rules were broken and no positive tests were recorded.
Bit like Lance never getting a positive test eh?
Not that old chesnut, you know as well as I do that the test for EPO was flawed during Lance's reign, and Dr Ferriari had worked out how to avoid testing positive.
Lance did test positive, but he paid his mates off to bury it.
Lance did break the rules, EPO, HGH, Testosterone, and got a lifetime ban justifiably. Sky stretched the rules, but according to the rules didn't break them, otherwise Wiggo would have been sanctioned.
We may not like it, but that's the difference between the two cases.
Reminds me of something an old manager once said to me in the retail sales world; you should go up to the line, you can lean over the line, you can have a friend hold your belt whilst you stretch over the line, you can even hold onto a tree branch to get further over the line, just don’t ever step over it. We didn’t work well together and parted company, similarly I couldn’t work for a Sky.
[/quote]
Bit like Lance never getting a positive test eh?
[/quote]
except, of course, he did.
Bit like Lance never getting a positive test eh?
[/quote
If you ignore LA's two positive tests, then yes, a bit like that.
"Nothing to see here. No, you need to look over THERE!"
I wondered when the Team Sky PR team would break cover
BTW I'm not saying that there are no issues in other sports. I wish there was as much effort done and attention on those too.
Team Sky pretended riders were ill so they could use performance enhancing drugs. At least in the old days people just cheated straight up.
A big shame for the Team Lance crew who latched onto Team Sky Flag wavers looking for moral and ethical direction from elite sports. Nevermind lads, there will be another fairytale to believe in along in a minute.
We can file the Sky team after 'Festina' and before 'US Postal'.
Oh well!
So no rules broken just some mythical ethical line crossed.I now look forward to the investigation of line crossing being shifted to other sports such as football were injections of pain killers are common place.
Wow I'm absolutely stunned at the responses here. Why don't some of you educate yourself on whats been going on. This isn't a bunch of corrupt politicians making some stuff up.
Pull your heads out of your backsides.
It's an astonishing waste of public money to have an inquiry that finds out nothing we already didn't know, and which comes to the same unevidences conclusions as the local pub bore.
I can't help but ssuspect that the committee was ddiverted into this complete waste of time and money to avoid it looking into sexual haarassment in the media industries, or why Leveson 2 has bene cancelled....
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