French's ban overturned
ByReuters
Published 12/07/2005 at 06:24 GMT
Australian cyclist Mark French has had a two-year doping ban overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday. The 20-year-old former junior world champion was handed the suspension last year after being found guilty by the CAS of seven v
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Image credit: Eurosport
He was suspended by the CAS from all competitions worldwide for two years while the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) banned him from competing at the Olympics for the rest of his life.
But French, a former junior world champion, always maintained his innocence and won an appeal in Melbourne on Tuesday that cleared him of any wrongdoing and allowed him to resume his career.
The CAS immediately overturned their two-year ban after ruling that there was not enough evidence to convict him and the AOC followed suit by lifting his lifetime Olympic ban.
"The AOC ... recognises and respects the CAS appeal decision in which it was found that the ASC (Australian Sports Commission) and CA (Cycling Australia) had failed to prove Mark French had committed any doping offence," said AOC president John Coates.
"Accordingly, it automatically follows that Mark French cannot be, and is no longer subject to, any sanction under the AOC Anti-Doping By-Law."
The ASC and CA, who had brought the charges against French, said they had some reservations about the ruling but agreed the case was now closed.
"Unless there's new evidence brought to the table, there's nowhere we can take it ... (so) we accept the umpire's decision," ASC chief executive Mark Peters said.
CA chief executive Graham Fredericks added: "I'm sad that cycling has been dragged through this because the sport doesn't deserve it. Cheating is the rare exception not the rule."
DENIED WRONGDOING
French became embroiled in the doping controversy after cleaners discovered a bucket full of syringes and phials at his residence at the Australian Institute of Sport in Adelaide last year.
He denied any wrongdoing and pointed the finger at five of his team mates, prompting the federal government to order a full investigation in the lead-up to the Athens Olympics.
Australia's former world keirin champion Jobie Dajka was dropped from the Olympics for bringing the team into disrepute after he admitted lying to the investigators.
Sean Eadie was also withdrawn after being charged with trafficking human growth hormones but reinstated after the case was dropped.
Shane Kelly, a four-times world champion, was also investigated. Kelly admitted injecting vitamins but denied using banned drugs and was allowed to stay on the team.
The saga had no obvious effect on the nation's elite riders, who topped the cycling medal count in Athens with six gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
French said he was unsure about whether he wanted to rejoin the sport after being labelled a drug cheat.
"I've been cleared, everything's positive (but) that was the worst 18 months of my life and nothing will ever be able to give that back to me," he said.
His father, David, said the whole process had been badly handled.
"His whole life has been curtailed through this. We can't overstate the damage that has been done to Mark."
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