UCI: We're winning the war on doping
On a meeting last week with an independent scientific expert panel, the head of UCI anti-doping Department, Anne Gripper, met to discuss possible anti-doping rule violations under the biological passport programme. Also World anti-doping agency (WADA) and the UCI Anti-Doping Commission were present at the meeting.
Gripper thinks that the anti-doping programme has been a great success so far. With the ratification of WADA’s athlete biological passport guidelines the UCI has got a concrete tool to catch and detect riders using illegal substances. Gripper thinks that the massive testing and detecting programme scares many riders and therefore has preventive effect on the use of illegal drugs.
A very important question is, if the UCI as a governing body can safeguard drug testing while also looking out for the best interests of the sport? And, if not, shouldn’t an independent body with no ties or interest to cycling manage all elements of testing and subsequent violation?