Jan 28 2009
Cyclists to Testify in Madrid Blood Doping Case Hearing
Some of world’s top cyclists may find themselves testifying again after a Spanish court decided to reopen the sports largest doping investigation. Jaime Lissavetzky, Spanish sport minister said on Monday that a third review of Operation Puerto means that ‘oral testimony’ will be expected.
About more than 50 cyclists were originally caught up in the blood ring that was exposed in May 2006. This month, a Madrid provincial court repealed the decision to shelve the case because “evidence exists that a crime was committed against public health.”
Five were originally charged before a judge closed the case. He considered nothing wrong had taken place according to the laws in force at the time. The case was reopened in February 2008 just before it was closed again in September.
In the 2006 Tour de France, nine riders were excluded after the raids, including Giro d’Italia 2006 champion Ivan Basso and 1997 Tour champion Jan Ullrich.
Operation Puerto was Spain’s biggest judicial probe in investigating doping in sports of cycling. Police who raided different locations in Madrid and Zaragoza found hormone medications, steroids, EPO- an endurance-enhancing drug and about 100 bags of frozen blood. All the paraphernalia and equipments found in the sports related place were employed for blood doping.
Names from the Spanish sporting elite were brought out and were duly arrested – Dr. Eufemanio Fuentes, former Liberty Seguros Director Manuel Saiz and Comunidad Valencia’s Ignatio Labarta.
Though Fuentes’ clients include other sports figures, only cyclists have been dragged into the controversy – some to face sanctions in their own countries. Scarponi was given an 18 month suspension, while Basso got worse; he was banned for 2 years from professional competition.
The case was however dismissed in March 2007 as Judge Antonio Serrano came to the decision that no laws were broken. The case was opened following the amendments in Spanish drug laws. Judge Serrano was also pressured by Spain’s sports ministry to reopen the case to seek resolution on whether any laws on handling blood as well as blood products were violated in the blood doping scandal.
On November of the same year, the case peaked when Cristina Perez, Dr. Fuentes’ wife disclosed that what she knows can ruin and will ruin Spanish sports – that she knows about Spain’s prized athletes that have been using drugs to boost their performance in competition.
Perez also revealed that amazing performance of Spain’s athletes in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics could be somehow attributed to her husbands’ assistance in making enhancement drugs to players. Perez had also joined in the said Olympics in the 1600m relay team competition.
After being shelved twice, the Operation Puerto has been unlocked the 2nd time now. Madrid’s public prosecutors immediately filed an appeal to ensure that the case gets a review. Madrid’s district attorney said that Dr. Fuentes’ and others encouragement, assistance and condoning of steroid use as well as blood doping in athletes could place these people’s health and even lives at risk.
[...] Tsoumeleka had tested positive for CERA, a more advanced derivative of erythropoietin, used in blood doping. The test results were released in January of this year. The violation of Greek anti-doping laws [...]
[...] suspension even as he disputed the test results through two rounds of arbitration. He long denied blood doping but on the latest positive test, he denied nothing. “I knew it was banned,” Hamilton [...]