‘Jiffy-bag’ doctor will face GMC charges

Former British Cycling and Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman will face misconduct charges brought by the General Medical Council (GMC) at an independent tribunal starting on February 6 in Manchester.

The tribunal, which is scheduled to run until March 5, will hear claims Dr Freeman ordered large quantities of testosterone, a performance-enhancing drug banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), to be delivered to the National Cycling Centre in May 2011 but then repeatedly tried to cover his tracks when questioned about it.

According to prehearing information published by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, the GMC claims

“To administer to an athlete to improve their performance”

Dr Freeman obtained the 30 sachets of Testogel, a topical treatment, “to administer to an athlete to improve their athletic performance”.

The man at the centre of cycling’s ‘Jiffy bag scandal’, Dr Freeman resigned from British Cycling in October of 2017.

He told the organisation he was too ill to face disciplinary action for poor medical recordkeeping.

Dr Freeman, who published a book on sports medicine last year, has denied all doping charges in the past.

But this tribunal has the potential to throw a dark shadow over British cycling’s golden decade.

As well as the allegations surrounding the Testogel delivery, the tribunal will also hear claims that Dr Freeman, who is also a former doctor of Bolton Wanderers, “inappropriately provided medical treatment that did not constitute first aid to non-athlete members of staff ”.