Operation Puerto Trial Challenges Madrid 2020 Campaign

(ATR) Madrid 2020 tells Around the Rings its leaders do not fear any negative repercussions for the bid from the Operation Puerto doping trial opening Tuesday in Spain.

"The Madrid 2020 Olympic bid has every confidence that the Spanish judiciary will rigorously apply the law in defence of fair play and drug-free sport," a bid spokeswoman told ATR.

The trial into what is billed as a highly sophisticated sports doping ring led by Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes threatens to damage Spain’s stance on anti-doping and, by association, the Madrid 2020 campaign.

The Spanish government is under serious scrutiny after ruling that the court case only focus on Fuentes' work with cyclists – 54 riders were implicated in the scandal – and not his links with professional footballers and tennis players. The World Anti-Doping Agency alleges a cover-up by the Spanish government to protect its global sporting image.

Asked if the court case might impact the bid, the spokeswoman said: "The Madrid 2020 Olympic bid is a staunch defender of fair play and is firmly committed to Olympic values and the fight against doping."

She added: "The Olympic bid is headed by officials from the Spanish Olympic Committee, who have always stood out for their commitment to defending WADA’s anti-doping regulations, playing an active part in the eradication of this scourge and using all the means at their disposal in doing so."

Fuentes, his sister and three former cycling coaches are charged with endangering public health. The prosecution will seek to prove their actions put the cyclists’ lives at risk. The defendants are not charged with any doping-related crime because Spain had no anti-doping law at the time of the arrests; legislation only came into force in November 2006.

In Operation Puerto, Spanish police uncovered the doping ring when they raided apartments and a laboratory in Madrid, seizing around 200 bags of blood that were labeled with code names linked to athletes. WADA believes the blood bags were linked to cyclists, footballers and tennis players.

Former Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, who was among the top cyclists implicated in the scandal, has been called on to testify at the trial, which is expected to conclude in mid-March.

The defendants face two years in prison and professional bans if found guilty.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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