Hein Verbruggen - Circ / Hein Verbruggen. - 2014
Hein Verbruggen (1941-2017), former International Cycling Union (UCI), states what in his opinion has occurred:
1.) The UCI has been – since the outstart some 50 years ago – and still is one of the forerunners of anti-doping;
2.) As regards my period as President from 1992 to 2005, I guarantee that there has never been a positive doping case that has not been treated according to the rules, nor has there been a policy of favouring riders or teams. The antidoping activities of the UCI were in the hands of persons of the highest ethical standards (professionals as well as volunteers);
3.) The poor image of cycling in terms of anti-doping is based on a wrong perception rather than on facts (by which I do not mean to play down the doping problem in cycling as shown by scandals such as Festina and Puerto and the many riders found positive by the UCI). The WADA and in particular its previous President Mr R. Pound have largely contributed to shaping that negative perception by means of an ongoing smear campaign often based upon sheer lies and false allegations. It is my conviction (and not only mine!) that Mr Pound has personal reasons of revenge;
4.) Mr Pound is to a large extent personally responsible for the fact that the WADA is a poorly performing anti-doping agency with a very low success record. The WADA’s performance has come under heavy criticism within the Olympic Movement. Mr Pound and the WADA’s management follow since years a mostly unreasonable and unjustified “naming and shaming” policy to keep away the attention of the WADA’s own failures. Especially the UCI and Cycling, also in the Lance Armstrong case (!), were used as scapegoats.
These items are treated and documented in this report.
