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player ready...Call it Lance Armstrong vs. France, Round … ? Actually, who can keep accurate track of how many times the cyclist and French anti-doping officials have stepped in the ring.
Armstrong is under a cloud of suspicion yet again after falling out of sight of a drug tester last month when warned not to do so, France’s anti-doping agency said Thursday.
Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner, is accused of possibly violating the anti-doping agency’s rules during the test on March 17 when he was training in France. Armstrong denies any wrongdoing. He also said that no banned substances were found in the samples taken that day.
In a statement posted on its Web site Thursday, the French agency said Armstrong “did not respect the obligation to remain under the direct and permanent observation” of the drug tester.
Pierre Bordry, the French anti-doping agency’s president, said the agency would make a decision on whether to bring a case against Armstrong. First, though, the details of the tester’s report would be reviewed.
Under French law, the tester collected hair, urine and blood samples from Armstrong, but not before a 20-minute delay during which Armstrong took a shower while his assistant checked the tester’s credentials.
Armstrong, in a statement released this week, called the accusation “outrageous.” He said the drug tester noted no irregularities with the test on the official sample collection form. That form was signed by Armstrong and the tester, Armstrong said.
“We asked if it was OK for me to run inside and shower while they made their calls, and the tester said that was fine,” Armstrong said. “I did not try to evade or delay the testing process that day.”
Under international standards for sample collection, athletes must remain in the view of the drug testers at all times. That rule prevents an athlete from trying to manipulate his urine — perhaps by drinking a lot of water to dilute his sample — in order to try to beat a test.
“At the end of the day, each case depends on its own facts,” David Howman, the director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said Thursday. “You have to be clear that the athlete has heard the information about staying in the view of the tester. If he has clearly heard the warning and decides to walk away, then it would be a breach.”
If it is proven that the athlete has clearly broken the rules, it could possibly lead to a two-year penalty, Howman said.