Embattled Tour de France winner Floyd Landis' bid to clear his name of doping allegations was dealt a setback when an arbitration panel ruled that officials could re-test seven urine samples.
In a release issued through New York spokesperson Michael Henson, Landis confirmed that the the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which is prosecuting the case against him, will conduct tests on urine samples that had already been declared clean.
Furthermore, Landis is angered that the new tests are to be carried out at the French laboratory that processed his original -- and disputed -- positive test.
Landis has charged the Labaratoire National Depistage de Dopage's (LNDD) at Chatenay-Malabry with mishandling his original samples.
"Putting aside the fact that the retesting shows just how far USADA will go in breaking its own rules to support its `win at all costs' mentality, I'm amazed that they insist on having the LNDD test these samples," said Landis, who would prefer the samples to be tested at an accredited laboratory at the University of California Los Angeles.
At the least, Landis said, he will request that all the samples scheduled for testing be split and also tested at a "neutral and uncompromised facility."
USADA is also seeking financial records, medical reports and other documents from Landis in the case against him. They are specifically looking for names of donors of more than US$250.
The ruling was made three weeks ago but only released on Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
USADA said the new tests were needed because the procedure would be more rigorous than before.
Landis called the requests "un-American."
"USADA clearly thinks that they're above the law," Landis said. "And that's precisely why we've been asking our elected representatives to look into USADA's unfair and un-American tactics."
Landis said he was considering appealing the ruling. A hearing before the arbitration panel is scheduled for May 14 in Los Angeles.
Landis, 31, could be stripped of his Tour de France victory and given a two-year ban.
The US rider's positive test from stage 17 in last year's race prompted the collapse of his Phonak team.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later