By Steven Selthoffer
LOS ANGELES, California, May 15. CYCLIST Floyd Landis will testify today as the North American Court of Arbitration for Sport convenes to hear the case of the United States Anti-Doping Agency vs. Floyd Landis. The hearings are scheduled from May 14 23, from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day.
Landis, the 2006 Tour de France champion was accused of doping, highlighted by his A and B samples taken from his come from behind 17th stage win in the 2006 Tour. The drug test, done by the French lab LNDD, in Chatenay-Malabry reported a much higher than permitted ratio of testoterone-epitestosterone which sometimes signals the presence of synthetic testosterone usually administered by an athlete. Landis has contested the results and has requested the hearing to be made open to the public.
Ian Thorpe, Swimming and L'Equipe
The LDNN is the same French lab that sport magazine L'Equipe named as the source, implicating Lance Armstrong of using EPO in 1999 and L'Equipe was the same source, breaking the story of Ian Thorpe's "doping" when it was reported that there were irregular levels of testosterone and lutenizing hormone in a May 2006 test. Thorpe will most likely be cleared without severe damage to his image and reputation.
But, Armstrong was submitted to barrages of ugly and brutal anti-American sentiment in the press and across European national television. Armstrong had a difficult fight and was eventually cleared by the UCI after an independent investigation by former Netherlands anti-doping chief and attorney, Emile Vrijman, who castigated the LNDD and cleared Armstrong because the "samples were conducted improperly" and "fell short of scientific standards." The report also said that the results were "completely irresponsible," and that "no disciplinary action should be taken against any rider on the basis of the LNDD research." The report called upon WADA and the LDNN to submit themselves to an independent outside investigation. It was reported that WADA rejected the conclusions.
The real questions are, "What is the connection between L'Equipe and WADA?" "Why and how is L'Equipe breaking doping stories on swimmers and athletes like Ian Thorpe and Lance Armstrong? Who is giving L'Equipe information out of a WADA approved lab or FINA official?" L'Equipe is French. The LDNN is French. FINA is based in Lausanne, in French, Switzerland. L'Equipe did not name their source for the Armstrong EPO revelations. They also did not reveal their source for the Ian Thorpe test results. Why not?
Swimming needs to be concerned and to monitor these developments. Michael Phelps could be next. Or maybe Laure Manaudou's competitors?
L'Equipe and LNDD Chatenay-Malabry Leaks
With Americans winning the Tour de France seven out of the last seven years, and 10 out of the last 19 years, combined with the LNDD still smarting from the independent report, the French now had another American winner on its hands, this time named Floyd Landis in 2006. Perhaps that was too much to take for French national pride. The questions of testing, administration of the samples is calling into question WADA and the LNDD's credibility.
The national French LNDD Chatenay-Malabry lab almost has the secrecy of the KGB. Fiercely pro-French, one could almost suffocate from the arrogant anti-American sentiment expressed by some officials. U.S. foreign policy, U.S. in Iraq, the present U.S. administration, President Bush, all gets thrown into the same pot with cycling, Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis.
Unfortunately, no American now should ever expect to get a fair hearing from the French anti-doping officials. They "KNOW" the Americans are guilty. The French sport media mentality has no room for comebacks, over coming cancer and superstar athletes. "They must be cheating. They're too good." Some in the French sport media cannot tolerate a good story outside of their mental parameters. Sadly, the smug "we know it's not true," mentality has poisoned relationships, professionally and privately, between media and sportsmen of both countries.
The comments made by French Tour Director after the now proven false, revelations by L'Equipe magazine concerning Lance Armstrong, revealed the deep-seeded resentment of his success. Ten years of Americans winning the Tour de France, (their Tour) was too much to tolerate combined with the U.S. going it alone into Iraq. It's "all the same thing."
This week is sure to produce more spectacular revelations of doping procedures, wounded national pride, examining media leaks and is certain to spark more controversy. With Landis' defense team stating that: "The hard drive from the Isoprime OS2 machine had been "wiped" by the LNDD and all of the original files destroyed, thereby providing no way to verify the authenticity of the EDFs from Landis' Stage 17 analysis," is a major revelation. That alone should clear Landis.
It seems as if the athletes have had enough with the doping allegations, leaks, constant allegations and testing labs. It's time to "Shake it up baby…. twist and shout…".
For more information please see the following Internet sites:
Floyd Landis
http://www.floydlandis.com/blog/
Ian Thorpe
http://ianthorpe.aol7.com.au/fountainforyouth.php
L'Equipe
http://www.lequipe.fr/
Tour de France
http://www.letour.fr/