A question about Operacion Puerto.

by bigfatandy on Mar 14, 2007 2:46 PM EDT

So after reading this VeloNews article:

http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/11890.0.html

My question is if Fuentes was treating 200 athletes and 58 of them were cyclists, how come we haven't heard anything about the other 142 athletes that aren't cyclists? I remember that when it broke there were reports of soccer players being on the list, but I notice it didn't seem to have the same impact on the World Cup that was going on at the time as it did on the Tour. Does WADA just have it in for cyclists? Maybe I'm just missing something, but I've been wondering about this for a while now...

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because soccer is too powerful

no one can mess with the influence and vast wealth of the biggest european soccer teams. Fuentes was threatened several times with an unpleasant death for him & his family if he spoke about his soccer clients. the police and judges aren't crazy, if they take down Real Madrid it would be like the end of the world for Spanish sports...so someone paid someone to quietly cover it up. Cycling lacks the organization, wealth, power, and influence as a sport to protect itself in the same way. Soccer protects its own while cycling loves to throw its own to the wolves.

by Lili on Mar 14, 2007 8:34 PM EDT reply actions

On the other hand

Juventus, the NY Yankees of Italian football, were absolutely destroyed. And as best I can tell, no one's dead (yet).

So it can be done.

by Sui Juris on Mar 14, 2007 11:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Politics

just politics. For the same reason that this case is closed by the Spanish courts.

by DZI on Mar 15, 2007 8:10 AM EDT reply actions

It's the same everywhere: it's all about the $$$.

"Sometimes you gotta give luck a swift kick in the balls." -Jens Voigt, Philosopher.

by Ruthann on Mar 15, 2007 12:51 PM EDT reply actions

Also

There is that unfortunate fact that this was a police investigation, and there weren't any crimes committed.

Even if Fuentes, Labarta, et. al. were "endangering public health", that would make the athletes victims, not suspects.

I really, really hope that the files are turned over to the UCI, FIFA, and the ITF and athletes who cheated are held responsible. Still, cheating in a sport isn't a crime.

Again, I really want Basso, Valverde, Ullrich, Mancebo et al to either be banned or cleared, but they aren't criminals. In the end the problem is systemic and if it is as widespread as OP and other scandals make it look, going after individuals can only be a small part of the solution.

Brooklyn Chewing Gum: Vlaanderens Mooiste

by Koppenberg on Mar 15, 2007 1:12 PM EDT reply actions

Is it really systemic?

I starting to think that not that many pros are really doping. Obviously some dope... Millar got caught and admitted it, Frankie Andreu admitted it. I've read about the Belgian and Dutch riders who kept dying in their sleep back when EPO appeared... but it seems that with all the scrutiny, the testing, the media snooping around, and the fact that nobody can keep a secret, if it was really systemic, which means more dope that don't dope, wouldn't more people get caught? Wouldn't there be more irefutable evidence?

by Jimbo... on Mar 16, 2007 6:53 PM EDT reply actions

That depends on what you call irrefutable

You can look at the average haematocrit level found at the health checks, how many riders are just below 50% now, versus before the limit was introduced. You can look at how many riders are athsmatics requiring steroid inhalers, and you can look at what substances riders who are caught red handed have in their possession. In addition to EPO and steroids, riders tend to have HGH, testosterone and insulin, all substances that either can't be detected or rarely are.

Brooklyn Chewing Gum: Vlaanderens Mooiste

by Koppenberg on Mar 17, 2007 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions