Lance Armstrong is not letting the controversy over last year's doping allegations die quietly.
In response to a report that concluded the World Anti-Doping Agency acted irresponsibly in the mishandling of urine samples from the 1999 Tour de France, Armstrong is seeking discipinary action against WADA chief Dick Pound.
(Updated: June 22, 2006 — Reuters quotes the spokeswoman for the International Olympic Committee, as saying that even though IOC is “not a party to it”, “If it can help facilitate that the parties could agree to an independent inquiry, it would be willing to do so.”
Doesn't sound like the result Armstrong wanted.)
Armstrong wrote a letter to International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge citing that Pound and WADA officials did not cooperate with the independent investigation released last month by Emile Vrijman.
The probe was sought by the Union Cycliste Internationale after L'Equipe gained access to recent lab tests on urine samples from the 1999 Tour de France and alleged Armstrong was guilty of blood doping. The Vrijman report concluded those allegations were baseless because of the way the samples were stored and tested.
In lashing out at Pound, Armstrong said:
“If the rules of the Olympic movement are to have any meaning at all, they must be enforced, not just against athletes, but against sports officials and anti-doping officials when they violate the rules. … It is now time for the IOC to enforce the rules, to bring closure, and to take action against all of those who were responsible for this unfortunate incident.”
Armstrong explained his desire to remove or suspend Pound in a letter posted on the Discovery Channel pro cycling team fan site — The Paceline (free registration). The site also has links to Armstrong's original letter to the IOC as well as the report by Vrijman.
(Update: June 23, 2006 — Pound responds to Armstrong letter in an email to the Globe and Mail. He says that the Vrijman “is so flawed that anyone with an ounce of sense knows it is a bad joke.” Regarding Armstrong's request to remove Pound from WADA: “Maybe now that [Armstrong] is retired, he has too much time on his hands.”)
Hinting at further action, Armstrong wrote, “I've been advised that I can pursue legal action WADA, the French Ministry, the French laboratory, and their officials.”
The Los Angeles Times, which first reported on the letter, contacted Pound, who said: “This is not a matter in which the IOC is involved at all. It's a UCI and WADA matter, and they should resolve whatever differences there are between them.”
Also, here's WADA's response to the Vrijman report. More at VeloNews.
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