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UCI Growing Restless that USADA Yet to Provide Evidence in Armstrong Case |
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Cycling - 28 Sep 2012 -
USADA took action against Armstrong on August 24 after he declined to contest doping charges brought against him by the agency.
The UCI has stated that, unless the USADA decision and case file provide reasons to do otherwise, it has no intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
USADA said this week that it was “finalising the written reasoned decision” and it would be sent to the UCI by October 15.
However, the governing body is growing increasingly restless at not being able to see the file and has expressed anxiety that USADA is apparently still gathering evidence even after Armstrong has been found guilty.
In a statement yesterday, UCI president Pat McQuaid said: “The UCI had no reason to assume that a full case file did not exist but USADA’s continued failure to produce the decision is now a cause for concern. It is over a month since USADA sanctioned Lance Armstrong. We thought that USADA were better prepared before initiating these proceedings.”
Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles and banned for life by USADA after deciding not to challenge charges that he had taken drugs throughout his career, although he maintains his innocence. He was critical of USADA’s action, saying that he refused “to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair.”
The UCI believes that, if there were issues over the evidence, USADA should have delayed making statements about the case.
It said: “It seems that it would have been more useful for USADA to have used the time of the Tour de France, the Olympic Games and the Road World Championships to prepare their case in full rather than to make announcements.
“It is at the very least unusual that USADA would still be gathering evidence against a person after it has found that person guilty. The UCI assumes that the reasons for any difficulty in putting the evidence together will be explained in USADA’s decision.
“The UCI has requested USADA to provide its decision and case file and has learnt of the reported delays through the media and not by official communication from USADA. The sooner UCI receives the decision and case file, the sooner UCI can provide its response.”
However, USADA chief executive Travis Tygart, has denied a lack of co-operation, telling Reuters it was “inaccurate” that his organisation had not been in contact with the UCI.
He added: “As they know we will be providing them with the ‘reasoned decision’ no later than 15 October through the process and at that time the questions contained in their publicly released statement today [Thursday] will be answered.”
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