Sky confident of no wrongdoing

LONDON: Team Sky were co-operating fully with a UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) investigation into a package sent to Bradley Wiggins at the end of the 2011 Dauphine race and were “confident” no wrongdoing would be found, they said yesterday.

The British team issued a statement after boss Dave Brailsford’s cross-examination by a Culture Media and Sport committee on Monday at which he revealed the “mystery” package contained the over-the-counter decongestant Fluimucil.

Earlier at the same hearing, former coach Shane Sutton confirmed that the package had contained medicine although he did not know what it was.

Sutton said it had been administered to Wiggins by team doctor Richard Freeman.

“Dave gave public evidence to the Select Committee yesterday for an hour as part of their inquiry into anti-doping,” Team Sky said.

“As we have always said, we believe what is most important is for UKAD to establish the truth independently. We are confident that when they report it will be clear that there has been no wrongdoing.”

Team Sky and British Cycling have come under the spotlight in recent months with UKAD launching an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing.

A Daily Mail story revealing that a package had been delivered by a British Cycling coach to Team Sky in 2011 followed soon after cyber hackers accessed the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) database

They released details of Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) issued to Wiggins ahead of the 2011 and 2012 Tour de France and the 2013 Giro d’Italia.

Brailsford, who prides himself on Team Sky being the world’s cleanest cycling team, admitted during the hearing that he had handled the situation regarding the package and Wiggins’ TUEs badly, but insisted there had been no intention to mislead.

He told MPs that an invoice “should be there” to document the shipment of Fluimucil – a drug that loosens mucus and which is not on Wada’s prohibited list. –