BROKEN TRUST
Sports Minister slams Team Sky and Wiggins for lost faith in cycling
FANS have lost faith in cycling after the controversies surrounding Team Sky and Sir Bradley Wiggins, according to the Minister for Sport.
Tracey Crouch believes public trust has been eroded and called on the World Anti- Doping Agency to launch a review into Therapeutic Use Exemptions.
Wiggins was granted a TUE — a document that allows an athlete to take banned substances for medical requirement — for the use of the corticosteroid triamcinolone before the 2011 and 2012 Tours de France, as well as the Giro d’Italia in 2013.
Wiggins argued the drug was needed to treat asthma and allergy symptoms. He has always denied an abuse of the system.
The subsequent ‘ jiffy bag’ scandal culminated in Team Sky being hauled before the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee and remains central to a UK Anti-Doping investigation.
Now Minister for Sport Crouch has called on WADA to launch an international review to restore public belief. She said: ‘There is a public interest in it and it’s important to gain confidence back in the system. The last year brought a whole lot of public interest and suspicion.’
Asked if she was referring particularly to the Wiggins case, Crouch said: ‘Yes, absolutely. But I think it continued to rumble on throughout the summer. I just think it (a review) would bring back public confidence in the system.
‘We think the time is right for WADA to do it.
‘There may well be very good reasons for an exemption, particularly in Paralympic sport, but we need there to be confidence in that.
‘ It’s about the integrity of sport. There were some concerns about TUEs.
‘It may be that a review finds there is no reason to change anything but it is important the signal is sent out there that this is an issue of concern and people have suspicions.
‘TUEs are in place for a reason. We must be careful not to say, “Scrap them!” but a review is the right way forward and WADA is the right platform.’ UK Sport chief executive Liz Nicholl, meanwhile, insists rebuilding trust is a ‘top priority’ after some ‘wholly inappropriate and unacceptable behaviours’ in elite sport.
Bullying claims in a number of sports, including cycling, football, para- swimming and bobsleigh, have led to questions about whether winning has been prioritised over athlete welfare.
Nicholl said a root-and-branch review of the culture in high-performance sport would be carried out.
She added: ‘Over the last 12 months a light has been shone on some wholly inappropriate and unacceptable behaviours in some Olympic and Paralympic sports and in other sports.
‘Each individual case is deeply disturbing and the shockwaves have been felt right across the system. It is important that we know the truth and these voices must be heard and the grievances must be dealt with fairly, effectively and promptly.’