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British Cycling bosses to testify before MPs' inquiry on dopingBritish Cycling logo 3x2

British Cycling bosses to testify before MPs' inquiry on doping

Select committee to look at the ethics of the use of TUEs
by Alex Bowden
Fri, Oct 28, 2016 10:48
8

British Cycling chiefs are to be questioned by MPs over the use and policing of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs). The hearing, part of the culture, media and sport select committee’s inquiry into doping in sport, could also include questions about the medical package delivered by a British Cycling coach to Team Sky just after Bradley Wiggins won the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné.

Wiggins was last month revealed to have had TUEs for use of the banned corticosteroid triamcinolone following the Fancy Bears hack. There has since been much discussion about the ethics of the TUE system with UCI president Brian Cookson suggesting that Team Sky may have pushed rules to ‘the very limit’.

UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) has launched an investigation, during which it will also look into the medical package delivered to Team Sky in France by British Cycling’s Simon Cope.

Cope, who is now the manager of Team Wiggins, flew from Manchester to Geneva on June 12, 2011, at the request of Team Sky, and handed a 'Jiffy bag envelope' to the team's doctor, Richard Freeman.

Damian Collins, the select committee’s newly elected chairman, told The Times: “As part of the inquiry into doping, the select committee wants to look at the ethics of the use of TUEs and the way this is policed by British Cycling. We can ask British Cycling about any incidents in the past where we believe it is important how the governing body oversees their sport.”

Officials would be held to be in contempt of parliament were they found to have misled the committee. A British Cycling spokesman said: “We welcome any opportunity to support anti-doping efforts.”

Collins added: “Our interest is in how the processes are managed and accounted for by the relevant authorities.”

British Cycling is also to reveal the results of its internal investigation into Shane Sutton later today. Sutton resigned from his role as technical director in April having been suspended from his position when the governing body launched its investigation into allegations of sexism.

TUEs
British Cycling
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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8 comments

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Awavey | 7 years ago
0 likes

tbf to them, the select committee is there to hold the government department to account to make sure it spends money correctly and has the right governance. So its perfectly reasonable for the select committee as part of an inquiry into doping in sport, so its not just cycling they are concentrating on, to request sports bodies, and especially those who receive government funding to answer questions on that topic, and especially when they appear to have some relevant information to share.

whether that then turns into another atypical session of MPs grandstanding, and being hopelessly unprepared, not asking relevant or searching questions and just hoping for a 5sec clip on the news, who knows, but its a reasonable starting point for them at least.

so yeah criticise the outcome if it doesnt live upto anything much, but dont criticise them posing the questions.

Avatar
bumble | 7 years ago
5 likes

Oh FFS, don't our MP's have more important aspects of cycling to talk about?

Yes, yes they do. Why are they wasting everyone's time with this?

Pollution and innactivity kill thousands, and blight millions. But parliament's priority is to find out what cough medicine athletes are sipping on the sly?

Jesus wept.

 

 

 

Avatar
burtthebike replied to bumble | 7 years ago
1 like

bumble wrote:

Oh FFS, don't our MP's have more important aspects of cycling to talk about?

Yes, yes they do. Why are they wasting everyone's time with this?

Pollution and innactivity kill thousands, and blight millions. But parliament's priority is to find out what cough medicine athletes are sipping on the sly?

Jesus wept.

Pretending to care is day one of politician training, but it's questionable whether MPs are so far gone that they don't know the difference any more.

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Rapha Nadal | 7 years ago
2 likes

I wonder when they'll look into investigating doping in premiership football. 

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alotronic | 7 years ago
0 likes

Does the UK parliament have any juristiction over the UCI? 

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tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
2 likes

MPs are dickheads. They love finding some target to publicly flog - it's the only time they can ever get the moral highground and look like they're on side. 

Look at them laying into Green. They let it happen, and worse, but when it blows up in their face they're our moral guardians or some errant shite. Hang them all.

 

Except Jez.

Avatar
esnifador replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
0 likes

unconstituted wrote:

MPs are dickheads. They love finding some target to publically flog - it's the only time they can ever get the moral highground and look like they're on side. 

Look at them laying into Green. They let it happen, and worse, but when it blows up in their face they're our moral guardians or some errant shite. Hang them all.

Yep. Maybe not hang them all, but they really are pathetic. They love getting evil bankers or businessmen in for a grilling so they can show how frightfully outraged they are at their behaviour, before letting them carry on as normal once they're out of the spotlight. As the parliamentary committees have no actual power, they can look as mean as they like without fearing the consequences.

It takes a lot for me to feel sympathy for Mike Ashley, but I was actually on his side when he initially refused to appear before his committee. I'd be tempted to do the same if I were British Cycling, though of course that would just make them look even shiftier than they already do, so doubtless they'll show up to told off like schoolchildren by a particularly patronising set of teachers.

Avatar
burtthebike | 7 years ago
2 likes

Shouldn't this be the other way around?  We should be asking for an enquiry into MPs doping.  They consistently say they support cycling, but never deliver, duping the electorate.

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