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World's Notes: Bettini named in German TV report; Valverde is a go; German subsidy frozen
Olympic and world cycling champion Paolo Bettini supplied sacked German cyclist Patrik Sinkewitz with doping products, according to television reports in Germany on Wednesday.
Sinkewitz, 26, was dismissed by T-Mobile during this year's Tour de France when abnormal levels of testosterone were found in his blood during a pre-race drugs test.
The German later admitted he had used 'Testogel' patches to help aid recovery. But according to reports on German channel ZDF, Sinkewitz is quoted in a document as naming the reigning world and Olympic champion and retired Italian Davide Bramati, as his suppliers.
"I got the Testogel from Italian riders and I can also name them, they were Davide Bramati and Bettini," he is quoted as saying.
Told of the television accusations, Bettini - who was on his way to Stuttgart from Venice airport - immediately called Sinkewitz to quiz him.
According to ANSA news agency, Sinkewitz denied ever having named Bettini.
Bettini is reported as telling his former teammate over the telephone: "If as you say you didn't say what has been reported then issue a denial immediately,” Bettini is quoted as saying. "If you have said what has been reported then you will have to be held responsible."
Sinkewitz and Bettini were teammates at professional teams Mapei and Quick Step, before the German switched to T-mobile in 2005.
Sinkewitz has offered to help doping investigators as a principal witness in order to reduce his ban, which is expected to be two years.
Valverde gets green light
Spaniard Alejandro Valverde will be allowed to participate in the world road cycling championships after a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday, the chief of world cycling Pat McQuaid said.
The UCI had attempted to ban Valverde, a two-time silver medalist in the elite men's race, from the worlds based on the UCI's belief that he is implicated in the Operacion Puerto doping affair.
The Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) stood by the Spanish ace, who made a last gasp appeal to CAS in a bid to compete in Sunday's road race.
Valverde has always denied being involved in the Spanish doping affair, uncovered when police raided the premises of Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes in May 2006 and found bags of stored blood, banned doping products and lists of codenames allegedly belonging to top cyclists, including Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso and American Tyler Hamilton.
Germany freezes world's subsidy
Germany's Interior minister reacted angrily to suspicions of continued doping in cycling by freezing a substantial subsidy to the organizers of the world road race cycling championships Wednesday.
The championships are under a cloud on the first day of competition due to beliefs that not enough is being done by the sport's authorities, or its stars, to show that the combat against the drugs cheats is advancing.
Despite never having tested positive for banned substances reigning world and Olympic champion Paolo Bettini is at the center of the controversy.
The UCI attempted to guarantee a scandal-free Tour de France this year by demanding all participating riders to sign a pledge promising not to dope.
Threatened with having to pay a year's salary if caught doping, the peloton was also asked to submit a blood sample to the ruling body to rule them out of any involvement in the ongoing Operación Puerto doping affair in Spain.
Bettini has steadfastly refused to sign the pledge, and says that handing over a blood sample is akin to giving up one's basic human rights.
German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble said Bettini's failure to give his support to the UCI's attempt to help clean up the sport has severely compromised the credibility of the world championships.
Schauble is chief of top level sport in Germany and said he had immediately frozen the payment of a 150,000 euros subsidy to the organizers of the event.
"Before these championships it was clear from the start that they would provide a chance for a fresh start for this sport," he said in a statement.
"When a riders refuses to sign a pledge which aims for a new, cleaner cycling and then he manages to participate in the event then the credibility of the sport's fight against doping is destroyed.
"When it is the world championships themselves that refuse to embrace this fresh start, then they have to assume the consequences."
