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Hamilton will keep cycling gold medal

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Turbo Monkey
Nov 29, 2001
1,889
0
Boston Area
Hamilton will keep cycling gold medal
By Jonathan Fowler, Associated Press, 9/23/2004 14:00

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GENEVA (AP) Tyler Hamilton will keep his Olympic cycling gold medal because a backup drug test was inconclusive, the International Olympic Committee said Thursday.

Hamilton tested positive for signs of blood doping in the initial sample Aug. 19 after his time-trial victory in Athens. But analysis of the backup sample failed to confirm the original finding because of ''lack of enough intact red blood cells,'' the IOC said in a statement from its Lausanne headquarters.

As a result, the IOC said it had dropped its investigation into the case and ''would not be pursuing sanctions regarding this matter.''

Though Hamilton was cleared of any Olympic doping violation, a similar backup blood test came back positive from the Spanish Vuelta, his Swiss racing team Phonak said. That test was conducted Sept. 11.

The tests allegedly showed evidence of a blood transfusion from another person, Phonak has said. Blood transfusions can boost endurance by pumping oxygen-rich red blood cells to the muscles.

Usually an athlete is punished only when two samples from the same event test positive.

It was unclear whether the International Cycling Union would take action against Hamilton for the positive tests in Spain. If found guilty of blood doping, the 33-year-old American could face a two-year ban from the sport.

The IOC said it was informed Aug. 22 by the drug-testing laboratory in Athens that Hamilton's blood sample produced a ''suspicious result.'' A group of experts studied the case and concluded Sept. 16 that the sample was positive.

The IOC set up a disciplinary panel to deal with the case, which could have led to Hamilton being disqualified and stripped of his medal. But the IOC said it was informed Wednesday that Hamilton's backup sample was ''considered as nonconclusive.'' On Thursday, the panel decided to dismiss the case.

However, the IOC said, ''The fact that the analysis of the B sample was not conclusive does not challenge the accuracy of the analysis of the A sample.''

The IOC said the testing method used in Athens was authorized by the World Anti-Doping Agency after being validated by international scientists. WADA chief Dick Pound said he was surprised by the different test results.

''We're perfectly satisfied that the test properly implemented is entirely reliable,'' he told The Associated Press. ''But how the test was applied or what was analyzed and all that sort of stuff, I don't know.''

Hamilton said Tuesday he was innocent and denied receiving a transfusion. He repeated the denials Thursday.

Cycling's governing body had informed cyclists at the start of the season that it planned to start using a new blood-screening machine in the tests that detects blood transfusions, human growth hormone and synthetic hemoglobin. Until now, there has been no foolproof test for detecting blood transfusions.

Phonak plans to investigate the accuracy of the new tests.

''Since the new method is an effort based on probability and interpretation measurements, uncertainties will remain in this examination and procedure in any case,'' Phonak said.

''The team's goal is, and this is in the exact interest of Tyler Hamilton, that we have clarity in the end,'' it said. ''The team management believes that it can form part of the campaign against blood doping and bring this matter up to a worldwide acceptable level.''
 

Jesus

Monkey
Jun 12, 2002
583
0
Louisville, KY
Seems to me they are just trying to make an American look bad. Cause if they really cared if he was doping, they would wait till they finished the second test. But instead, they put this in the news before they had conclusive results. Now most people are going to associate Hamilton with doping, guilty or not.
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
BS. Way to go with the great testing guys. Gimme a break. He is obviously doping when tests come up positive at multiple events, but cycling folks in general are trying to protect what little positive image they have left.
 

golgiaparatus

Out of my element
Aug 30, 2002
7,340
41
Deep in the Jungles of Oklahoma
Transcend said:
BS. Way to go with the great testing guys. Gimme a break. He is obviously doping when tests come up positive at multiple events, but cycling folks in general are trying to protect what little positive image they have left.
But its also a new type of machine, it could not be perfectly accurate...
 

Jonny Wray

Chimp
Oct 4, 2001
31
0
San Francisco
No, nothing to do with the testing machine. Apparently the lab people at the Olympics put his second sample in a -20 freezer, destroying the red blood cells. So, they just couldn't test. It's not that his 2nd test was negative.

golgiaparatus said:
But its also a new type of machine, it could not be perfectly accurate...