Pretty ironic considering the fact they'd probably fall over themselves to run Track and Field Grand Prixs ... no drugs in that sport
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Minister: 'Cancellation would herald the new start cycling needs'
By Agence France Presse
This report filed July 6, 2007
The 2007 world road race championships, scheduled for Stuttgart in September, could be called off due to the wave of doping scandals hitting cycling, a German government minister has warned.
"The world championships in Stuttgart are in a critical situation and it's not inconceivable that the organizing committee will have to reconsider everything," Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble was quoted as saying in Saturday's edition of Tagesspiegel.
"Perhaps we'll have to reach the conclusion that a spectacular cancellation (of the championships) would herald the new start cycling needs," he argued.
Schauble added that the German government was prepared to withhold its promised 150,000 euros contribution to help stage the September 26-30 event unless cycling cleaned up its act.
"We're not going to give this money to a sport associated with drug-taking," he told the paper. "If the 2007 world championship organizers want to be responsible they will have to prove that their event is different to the others."
Schauble is scheduled to meet with UCI president Pat McQuaid and the head of the German cycling federation, Rudolph Scharping, on Monday to discuss the situation.
High on his shopping list at those talks will be an assurance that competitors will be subjected to doping controls conducted by the World Anti-Doping Authority.
"I find that better than letting the federations carry these out," he said.
Schauble's threat of calling off the championships was echoed by Stuttgart city council member Susanne Eisenmann who also called for the German cycling federation to ban sprinter Erik Zabel, who recently admitted to taking EPO, from taking part.
"Whoever has taken drugs before shouldn't be allowed to compete in these world championships which want to be seen as a fresh start," she said.
This will come as bad news to Zabel who has targeted Stuttgart as the last major objective of his long career.
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Minister: 'Cancellation would herald the new start cycling needs'
By Agence France Presse
This report filed July 6, 2007
The 2007 world road race championships, scheduled for Stuttgart in September, could be called off due to the wave of doping scandals hitting cycling, a German government minister has warned.
"The world championships in Stuttgart are in a critical situation and it's not inconceivable that the organizing committee will have to reconsider everything," Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble was quoted as saying in Saturday's edition of Tagesspiegel.
"Perhaps we'll have to reach the conclusion that a spectacular cancellation (of the championships) would herald the new start cycling needs," he argued.
Schauble added that the German government was prepared to withhold its promised 150,000 euros contribution to help stage the September 26-30 event unless cycling cleaned up its act.
"We're not going to give this money to a sport associated with drug-taking," he told the paper. "If the 2007 world championship organizers want to be responsible they will have to prove that their event is different to the others."
Schauble is scheduled to meet with UCI president Pat McQuaid and the head of the German cycling federation, Rudolph Scharping, on Monday to discuss the situation.
High on his shopping list at those talks will be an assurance that competitors will be subjected to doping controls conducted by the World Anti-Doping Authority.
"I find that better than letting the federations carry these out," he said.
Schauble's threat of calling off the championships was echoed by Stuttgart city council member Susanne Eisenmann who also called for the German cycling federation to ban sprinter Erik Zabel, who recently admitted to taking EPO, from taking part.
"Whoever has taken drugs before shouldn't be allowed to compete in these world championships which want to be seen as a fresh start," she said.
This will come as bad news to Zabel who has targeted Stuttgart as the last major objective of his long career.
