Brailsford cleans up mess over Wiggins
SIR Dave Brailsford insists Team Sky are “100 per cent a clean operation” and has defended Sir Bradley Wiggins’ use of a banned steroid before major races.
Wiggins, the 2012 Tour de France winner, sought three therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) during his time with Team Sky, which allowed him within the rules to take an anti-inflammatory drug to treat breathing difficulties.
Wiggins, 36, was given medical permission to be injected with the powerful corticosteroid triamcinolone in 2011, 2012 and 2013, which he claims was used to alleviate his asthma and pollen allergies.
Team Sky principal Brailsford says he was aware at the time of what Wiggins was taking but was satisfied that it was not for performance-enhancing reasons.
He said: “We are doing it the right way. It is 100 per cent a clean operation. We always look at the right thing to do and have policies and process to make sure we perform in the right way and people can believe in us.
“Abuse is the key word. People have abused TUEs in the past. But the question for us was, is there a genuine medical need? Given the process and its integrity – there was a doctor and authorities who approved this – I didn’t see any need to question it.
“We have won many races, big races without TUEs. So this whole notion of needing a TUE to perform, or some systematic abuse of the system, is unfounded. If you want to do something as challenging as what we’re trying to do, with the past this sport has, there are going to be times like now when you have to keep fighting.
“To make sure our riders are more transparent and our processes are more robust is more important than ever.”
Brailsford, 52, who says he has done nothing during his career to “lose sleep over”, added: “I can always look at myself in the mirror because I’ve never had a discussion with anyone about doping and I never will. And I’m going to keep on fighting to make sure people believe that.” Brailsford said Team Sky will reveal all cases when their riders have been given permission to use banned substances for medical purposes.
On whether the TUE controversy had tainted Wiggins’ reputation and achievements, Brailsford said: “I hope not, he is a remarkable athlete who has achieved so much in his career.
“As you can see from his records, he has not been a systematic abuser of TUEs, he has had very few. It would be very unfair to allow them to tarnish his career.”