French Anti-Doping Agency to answer UCI criticism

By Julien Pretot

PARIS, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The French Anti-Doping Agency (ALFD) will respond to criticism from the International Cycling Union (UCI) for alleged failures in testing procedures but said on Friday it will make no public comment in the meantime.

“The AFLD has learned about the answers from the UCI to its report on the 2009 Tour de France. It will hand in its comments to the (French) minister of Sports, to the UCI and to the World Anti-Doping Agency,” the AFLD said in a statement.

“Until then it will refrain from making any public comment on the matter.”

On Thursday, the UCI accused the AFLD of failures in its testing procedures in a report sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency.

A copy of the 10-page report obtained by Reuters replied to allegations last month from the AFLD that UCI testers had given Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador’s Astana team preferential treatment. The UCI have denied the allegations.

“It is important for everyone to understand that AFLD is far from perfect in the implementation of their own anti-doping activities”, the UCI report said.

“By the start of the Tour, UCI had conducted 190 out-of-competition tests on riders short listed for the Tour, while AFLD had conducted 13 tests.

“Of these, six were on French riders whom they have access to test all year round. But of great significance is that five of the samples collected from riders in the same French team, were sent to the laboratory with the full names and details of the riders.

“This completely invalidates the anonymous chain of custody requirements of the Code and International Standard of Testing.”

(Editing by John Mehaffey; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)