Oct 2, 2006
Botero Cleared
Operation Puerto will probably do more to undermine the anit-doping effort than to help. The vast investigation has yet to convict anyone on the doping charges. With all of the sound and fury that Operation Puerto drudged up just in time for the Tour de France, the end result signifies nothing.
Santiago Botero is the latest cyclist to be let off the hook. The Federación Colombiana de Ciclismo did not have enough evidence from the Spanish Guardia Civil to convict Santiago Botero of any wrong doing in Operation Puerto affair. This is the latest in the long string of cyclist being cleared of wrong doing in the investigation.
Ivan Basso is getting ready to be cleared as there is not enough evidence to convict. So this investigation by the Spanish Guardia Civil has so far failed to provide any evidence that can actually convict riders of doping. The question now has to be why was thre so much credibility put into the preliminary finding when there was no solid evidence that could be seen by everyone? Why did the riders in question have to be suspended for suspicion which turned out to be false? There is a reason why most judicial systems in the world follow the the theory of due process.
The bigger problem is that men like Pat McQuaid, Dick Pound and anyone from the ASO want to convict riders to to give the impression that cycling is clean. Dick Pound in particular seems to have a vendetta against cycling and its doping practices. The fact is that to clean up the sport you have to be dilligent in your efforts. You must follow the policies and procedures that are in place. If there are suspensions by suspicion, then the sport is not helped later when a hasty investigation turns up nothing and a possibly guilty rider walks. It is time for those involved in the doping battle to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves just what is it they are trying to do and how is the best way to do it.