Cycling chief slams doping accusations
The president of cycling's world governing body, Hein Verbruggen, has defended the sport from accusations of widespread doping and says the media at the Tour de France focus too much on the issue.
Speaking during a visit to the Tour's 16th stage from Les-Deux-Alpes to La Plagne on Wednesday, Verbruggen first refused to answer questions about doping and then pointed the finger at the media.
"There's so much talk about doping in cycling in the press...there are a number of people who believe the press and what they say -- that everybody is doped," said Verbruggen, president of the International Cycling Union (UCI).
"The reality is that in cycling we have 1.5 percent of positive cases. You can miss some other cases but you're not going to miss 99 per cent.
"I'm pretty sure that what we see now is a majority of clean athletes. We will always have positive cases. You will always have use of medicine in three-week stage races.
"We control the rider and the president of the International Olympic Committee has also said that but there will always be athletes trying to cheat. That's part of normal life."
POSITIVE CASES
Verbruggen added that he felt the media had a role to play in reporting fairly and not over-emphasising cycling's positive tests compared to those in other sports.
"The press has a role to play but they have an important responsibility to do it an objective way. The problem is the attention (cycling) doping gets," Verbruggen added.
"When there were three positive cases in the Giro, it was a scandal all over the world.
"At the same time I got a press release from the International Athletics Federation announcing they were banning seven athletes -- but I didn't see anything in the press.
"We have the same number of positives as other sports but why does everybody only talk about cycling?" he asked.
Verbruggen added that he had enjoyed this year's Tour and praised the performance of overall leader and winner of the last three races, American Lance Armstrong.
"I think it's a very good Tour de France. There have been a lot of spectators along the road side and it's very well covered on television -- which is important," he said.
"Regarding the racing, everything has gone very well. Lance Armstrong has shown he's the best in the race...it's been an incredible performance so far."
