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UCI chief wanting cycling back on track after Armstrong doping scandal

2014-08-18 14:11 Xinhuanet

NANJING, China, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- International Cycling Union (UCI) president Brian Cookson said on Sunday that Lance Armstrong doping scandal has damaged the cycling's image and vowed to clean the sport with iron hand.

Cookson, who is visiting the Nanjing Summer Youth Olympics, also asked all the participating young athletes to take a lesson from Armstrong case and choose the right way to follow.

"There's a big lesson from Lance Armstrong to learn, not only for cycling but for all the sports. If you build your success on cheating, sooner or later, it will come out, the truth will come out. It may take a year or five years, or even ten years, it will come out and your reputation will be destroyed," Cookson warned.

"No matter how powerful you are, no matter how successful you are and how rich you become, no matter how good your lawyers are, you will be found out. So the message for young people is: Don't go down that road."

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency banned Armstrong from sanctioned competition for life for his use of performance-enhancing drugs during a cycling career and his seven titles of the Tour de France were stripped off.

Last year Armstrong finally admitted during an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he used steroids, blood boosters and other banned performance-enhancing drugs and methods during his career.

Cookson said the sport's image was blemished by Armstrong scandal and his personal reputation was also destroyed. He vowed to take serious measures to crack down upon doping.

"Cycling is not the only sport that's been hit by drugs. We are dealing the problem of doping in a most effective way. We have a number of new initiatives to catch people who are trying to cheat, say, biological passport, independent investigating procedures and we also do out-of-competition doping test. And we also work closely with WADA."

Cookson defended UCI's efforts by saying: "If you look at the range of all the sports, they can be divided into two groups. One group is already troubled by the doping problems and the governing bodies are dealing with it, and cycling is one of the leaders in the field. And second, there are some sports where they don't have this problems, I'm sure sooner or later they will find out, so they will have to start to take it seriously."

"In any field of human activities, there's always people who's trying to cheat, in sport or banking, whatever. The responsibility of the governing body is find out and catch them."

"We have to move on and I think we are in a different era now. I'm pleased that the athletes can compete at the highest level without going down that road. The job of UCI is cooperating with WADA and find out those children, if they have the ability, they can go to the top of the sport, without having to lie and take the medicine that will damage their health."

Last year Cookson, the former British Cycling Association president, was elected UCI president, ousting Pat McQuaid. He assigned an independent panel to investigate the sport's doping past and any collusion by the governing body.

The panel, consisting of three experts in law and anti-doping, was independent and can talk to anybody without having to ask for UCI's permission.

"The panel is made of three people with great integrity and intelligence. They will look at what happened during those years and why. A independent report will be published at the end of the year, and we will find out what's been there during those years. The report will also include suggestions on how to prevent it and actions to stop it from happening again."

Cookson admitted that the report won't reveal further shocking news like Armstrong doping case, and it will focus on the "structural reason for why it happened".

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