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Phonak: Hamilton's Vuelta B-Sample positive; Athens sample is not

By Agence France Presse
Published: Sep. 23, 2004

The B-sample taken from Olympic time-trial champion Tyler Hamilton at theVuelta a Espana earlier this month as come back positive, his Phonak cyclingteam announced Thursday.The team also reported that the B-sample for similar doping test bythe International Olympic Committee (IOC) earlier in Athens was negative.Phonak said it was setting up a scientific board to check the validityof testing methods because of the apparently conflicting results shownby the IOC's procedure, and the one used by the Union Cycliste Internationale(UCI) in Spain.Hamilton has been suspended from racing by the Phonak team and willbe thrown out unless he is able to prove he is innocent of blood dopingcharges, the Swiss team said Wednesday.The 33-year-old faces a possible two year ban after testing positivein the first sample for an allegedly illicit blood transfusion followinghis win on the Tour of Spain's eighth stage time trial on September. Hepulled out of the Tour six days later apparently due to stomach problems.But Phonak challenged the testing method, saying it was based on "probabilityand interpretation measurements" and "uncertainties will remain.""Because neither UCI nor IOC have so far disclosed data and becauselegal procedures may last for a long time without a clear outcome, theteam management has decided to establish a scientific board in order toachieve clarity as to the medical method and reliability of these new bloodtesting tools," it added. Hamilton will remain suspended from the teamwhile the probe is carried out, Phonak said. "The team's goal is - andthis is in the exact interest of Tyler Hamilton - that we have clarityat the end," a statement issued by the Swiss team said. The US rider reiteratedThursday that he was innocent of blood doping on the Olympics, and hadissued a broader denial earlier this week."I guarantee that I represented the United States of America as an honest,clean and proud athlete," he said. "As the Olympic Committee did not promptlyinform me of the alleged anti-doping violation until one month after theevent on August 18, 2004, it was not possible to defend myself before.""Regardless of this I will prove my innocence," he added. Blood dopingis a means of enhancing an athlete's endurance by increasing the amountof oxygen-carrying red cells in the blood stream, using his own blood ora donor of the same group. The method is believed to have entered sportin the 1970s but was not made illegal unitl 1986. It was made redundantin the late 1980s with the arrival of the synthetic version of the blood-boostinghormone erythropoietin (EPO). But the fact that EPO has become detectablesince 2000 has given rise to speculation that blood doping has returned.
 


Related releases:Media Release
Phonak Cycling Team
Communication of 23 September 2004With regard to the Tyler Hamilton blood testing case the Phonak CyclingTeam takes the liberty to announce that the blood samples examined inthe B-Test under the UCI procedure are positive. The B-Test blood samplestaken under IOC however will turn out negative.Since the new method is an effort based on probability and interpretationmeasurements uncertainties will remain in this examination and procedurein any case.Because neither UCI nor IOC have so far disclosed data and because legalprocedures may last for a long time without a clear outcome, the team managementhas decided to establish a scientific board in order to achieve clarityas to the medical method and reliability of these new blood testing tools.This scientific board will consist of various scientists with out-standingreputation in this field. Those scientists will be teamed up from differentsources and will look into the entire method and data and report as towhether the analysis conducted at the lab in Lausanne in connection withthe B-testing is reliable. In order that the scientific board can commenceits work the entire files have to be released from UCI and/or IOC. Thisis so far not the case although requested by Tyler Hamilton.Once the data is available the scientific board will come up with itsresults as soon as possible. For the time being the names of the scientistsinvolved will not be disclosed in order to avoid that they are disturbedin their work or influenced in any way.Once the results are available the press will be informed. The team'sgoal is, and this is in the exact interest of Tyler Hamilton, that we haveclarity in the end. Moreover, if there is a way to improve the new methodin order to avoid future uncertainties this will also be a part of themandate to the scientific board. With the foregoing the team managementbelieves that it can form part of the campaign against blood doping andbring this matter up to a world-wide acceptable level.Up to that point, i.e. the results which derive from said scientificboard, communication as to the merits and procedure of the UCI and IOCcases will be reduced to a minimum. It is our all interest to contributeto reliable testing methods and not only to win the case because of legaldeficiencies, if any, at the end of UCI and IOC.During this phase Tyler Hamilton is suspended from racing but stayswith the team.ARcycling AGExplanation: ARcycling AG, Hombrechtikon, Switzerland, is theowner and operator of the Phonak Cycling Team.
 
Media Release
Tyler Hamilton
Statement by Tyler Hamilton of 23 September 2004First of all I would like to discuss the recent press releases concerningmy suspension from the team. This decision was taken jointly by Andy Rihsin his function as team owner and myself and communicated already duringthe press conference held on Tuesday evening. I am still a member of thePhonak-Cycling-Team and will continue to participate in the day to daydecisions concerning our team.With regard to the B-test from the Olympic Games no official informationhas been provided to me as of today. However, I am sure that the Gold medalthat I worked so hard for will stay in my hands. I guarantee that I representedthe United States of America as an honest, clean and proud athlete. Asthe Olympic Committee did not promptly inform me of the alleged anti-dopingviolation until one month after the event on August 18, 2004, it was notpossible to defend myself before. Regardless of this I will prove my innocence.I will support the scientific board established by Phonak Cycling andmyself, which I strongly believe will put light on the questions we haveon the reliability of this new test. Hopefully with this scientific team,we can find a fool-proof method to this test in order to the prevent otherathletes ending up in the same situation. I believe that this is the onlyway to bring clarity to this matter.It is necessary that I will be released from the allegations based ona scientifically conducted correction of the testing method. It is of furtheressence that I can as soon as possible, together with my team, form partof a reinstated reputation with evidence that I have contributed to valid,reliable and watertight measures in the anti-doping campaign. In this senseI fully support this research & development project, and I am confidentthat its result will bring me back to cycling soon so I can pursue my dreamof winning the Tour de France.I very much appreciate the support of my family, my friends, my teamand fans.Tyler Hamilton