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War of words: Pound, Armstrong trade barbs after IOC critique of WADA chief

By Agence France Presse
Published: Feb. 12, 2007

International Olympic Committee officials have rebuked World Anti-DopingAgency (WADA) chairman Dick Pound for comments critical of cyclist LanceArmstrong, according to newspaper reports.
 
The Los Angeles Times and New York Times reported thatthe IOC Ethics Commission censure was dated February 2 and came followinga complaint filed in 2005 by the American, a seven-time Tour de Francewinner."It's not common that the IOC comes out and issues a reprimand or awarning about one of their members at all. This is as close to a censureas it could get," Armstrong told the New York Times, calling therebuke a "major victory.""This is for the sake of the other people that have to come behind mebecause they deserve better. I hope this establishes a certain precedentthat the head of WADA has to act a certain way in public. And I think that'sa good thing."
 
The retired Tour winner was unhappy that Pound suggested Armstrongtook the blood-doping substance erythropoietin (EPO) during the 1999 Tourde France, the first of his seven consecutive Tour triumphs.Those comments came after L'Equipe reported six urine samplestaken from Armstrong in 1999 retroactively tested positive for EPO. The UCI did not fully implement its urine-based EPO test until 2001.Pound did not back off his comments when contacted by the New YorkTimes, calling the IOC decision a way of "doing something that willmake Lance go away and stop bothering them.""Lance Armstrong has probably killed a Brazilian rain forest with allthe paper he has used to file his complaints against me," Pound told thepaper. "He keeps alive this whole thing that he should be trying to fadeaway, that a French accredited laboratory found that he had six positivesamples for EPO in 1999."Maybe he thinks if he huffs and he puffs, all of this will go away,but it won't," the former IOC vice president added.IOC officials endorsed their ethics panel's finding that Pound's comments"could have been regarded as likely to impugn the probity" of Armstrongand were imprudent given the Olympic movement "spirit of friendship, solidarity,and fair play."IOC executives followed up the ethics panel recommendation that theyremind Pound, who has long been an IOC member, "of the obligation to exercisegreater prudence when making public pronouncements that may affect thereputation of others."
 
While finding Pound's comments had no "incriminating element," theethics panel noted he refused to respond to Armstrong's complaint. Armstrongalso cited WADA in his complaint but the panel decided WADA lay outsideits reach.
 
Armstrong told the New York Times Pound was a "clown" who isan "absolute disaster when it comes to giving interviews."