The president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), Pat McQuaid, responded Friday to the criticism of the director of the World Anti-Doping Agency, David Howman, who had questioned the positioning of the body in the case of doping by Lance Armstrong.
“The UCI has built its credibility in recent years through its fight against doping, on many occasions it has been a pioneer since 2000, for example in the biological passport. We cannot be questioned for a purely legal dispute,” McQaid explained.
The UCI maintains a conflict with USADA for the management of the 'Armstrong case', since it considers that it is the body that has the competences and has requested that the matter be handled by an independent authority.
Howman recently declared that the UCI's refusal to accept USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) competition was “frankly incomprehensible” and noted that the international federation had “undermined the credibility it had slowly regained in recent years.” .
“The UCI confirms that it never had the intention of stopping the investigation or hindering it (the 'Armstrong case'), all it seeks is to ensure that the prosecution is correct,” McQuaid added.
USADA announced in June that it had filed charges against Armstrong for doping, which if proven could strip the Texan cyclist of his seven Tour de France titles.
The anti-doping agency claims to have witnesses who will prove that Armstrong and five former members of his cycling team were involved in a doping case between 1998 and 2011.
Armstrong, who has flatly denied doping during his career, has sued the USADA before a US federal court, alleging that the agency violates his constitutional rights, and that he has no jurisdiction in the case.
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