RAIDS IN BELGIUM GIVE KEN RED FACE

BOONEN: Blow for team

Friday June 8,2007

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Just 48 hours after Ken Livingstone dismissed claims this year’s Tour de France Grand Depart in London would be damaged by drug scandals, the sport has been rocked by another sordid revelation.

Yesterday Belgian police raided 10 homes of cyclists and team assistants and found a large quantity of banned doping substances.

The Mayor of London’s optimism looks as misplaced as a fish on a bicycle. Sadly, a cheat on a bike is now viewed as the norm. His assertion, too, that the recent confessions were from riders of a decade or so ago and that the present bunch should not be tainted, has also been blown away.

Yesterday’s raids were on the Quick Step team of ex-world champion Tom Boonen and Olympic and reigning world champion Paolo Bettini. And while neither rider has been implicated, it is current team members who are under suspicion.

Prosecutors in the Belgian town of Kortrijk questioned 13 people in connection with the findings. One will appear before a judge today charged with possessing banned substances, two were allowed home, while a decision has yet to be taken on the other 10.

Quick Step confirmed a physiotherapist belonging to the team was among the people held for questioning.

“I don’t know who it is, the prosecutors don’t want to reveal identity. We are waiting to have his name before issuing a statement,” said a Quick Step spokesman. “I’ve spoken to Tom Boonen and, as far as he was concerned, there has been no raid on his house.”

❑Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, 32, is in hospital near Milan after attempting suicide. He is not in a serious condition, a spokesman said.

The 32-year-old served a six-month suspension in 2002 after a police raid on his home found performance-enhancing substances.

Thanks to the Daily Express

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Barrie Segal is the founder of AppealNow.com™ and is a regular radio broadcaster in the UK.
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