Sports chief wants cycling funds cut

"If no severe sanction is taken in the fight against doping, then we need to think about stopping the funding of some public bodies," Danckert said after it emerged on Wednesday that Sinkewitz had been found to have high levels of testosterone is his blood.

"Only the Parliament, who manage the taxpayers money, can act and we can't continue to support a sport which does not take the necessary steps to fight against doping."

Danckert welcomed Wednesday's decision of German television channels ARD and ZDF to stop broadcasting this year's Tour, until the Sinkewitz case is fully explained.

He said: "It was the right decision, it is necessary to do something. Things must also change on the Tour de France. The stages must be shortened, a day of additional rest must be introduced."

Sinkewitz, under contract with T-Mobile, was informed on Wednesday that his A sample from June 8, taken during a training session, had tested positive.

"Patrik is suspended and if the B-sample is also positive for elevated testosterone then his contract will be terminated," said T-Mobile team general manager Bob Stapleton.

"This is an athlete who committed to our Code of Conduct. If he stepped outside that, it is extremely disappointing."

Two leading German television channels, who had threatened to boycott this year's race because of doping scandals, immediately downed tools and stopped broadcasting the 10th stage from Tallard to Marseille.

In a joint statement ARD and ZDF said they would not be resuming their coverage of the Tour "until clarification of the Patrik Sinkewitz case".

"It's a warning to cycling and to every other sport," explained ZDF chief producer Nikolaus Brender.

Patrice Clerc, the president of the Tour's parent company ASO (Amaury Sports Organisation) failed to comprehend the decision, especially in the light of cycling's proactive stance in the fight against drugs cheats.

"It's a paradox. The Tour de France is being sanctioned, but should we sanction an event that is actually doing its best to weed out drugs cheats?" said Clerc.

"Cheats are being found, and German TV is playing the 'empty chair' policy. If we don't look for banned substances, we won't find them.

"A lot of sports don't look for anything. We've decided to take another attitude, we're fighting against doping - and we're being sanctioned because cheats are being found!"

For T-Mobile manager Bob Stapleton, and his newest star rider Linus Gerdemann - who is openly anti-doping - the news simply showed that the doping controls are doing their job.

He explained: "Our internal controls concentrate on blood doping and EPO use (erythropoietin), and are complementary to the test already being carried out by the national and international (cycling) federations, as well WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency)."

Gerdemann, the 24-year-old all-rounder who single-handedly injected life into the German television networks' flailing faith in the sport with a superb first stage win in the Alps on Saturday, could only agree.

"I still don't know if it's true, there hasn't been another analysis yet," he said after the 10th stage.

"But if it is, it shows that the controls are starting to work, and that the possibilities to dope are getting smaller and smaller.

"For sure it's not good for our team, but I also believe it's not possible for us to possible to dope in our team. It shows that if someone is doping, he's going to get caught."

AFP

(China Daily 07/20/2007 page24)