It broke today and when people heard the news, there didn’t seem to be much surprise. On Thursday, Tour de France champion Alberto Contrador’s test results from the race came up positive for a banned substance. Contrador is making a preposterous claim that the positive test results came as a result of eating bad beef. However it got into Contrador’s system, this result could cause him to be stripped of the Tour’s title and further taints a sport that doesn’t need any more black eyes.
On Thursday, Universal Sports aired a one hour special on Contrador and this is the quotage that came from the program.
RECAP OF UNIVERSAL SPORTS’ SPECIAL REPORT ON ALBERTO CONTADOR’S DOPING ALLEGATIONS“Unfortunately, it’s very sad. It’s sad for cycling and for him.”Don Catlin, M.D. about Alberto Contador in an exclusive interview with Universal Sports’ Steve SchlangerSeptember 30, 2010–Los Angeles–Universal Sports aired a LIVE special report tonight surrounding the doping allegations against three-time Tour de France winner, Alberto Contador. The show featured Universal Sports anchor Steve Schlanger and cycling expert Todd Gogulski talking about the news that the Spaniard failed an anti-doping test for the banned substance clenbuterol. Consequently, the International Cycling Union (UCI) suspended Contador indefinitely pending a further investigation.Don Catlin, M.D., CEO and President of Anti-Doping Research, Inc., joined Schlanger and Gogulski for an exclusive over-the-phone interview providing expert analysis of clenbuterol and Contador’s future. Dr. Catlin is a longtime member of the International Olympic Committee Medical Commission and serves as Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the UCLA School of Medicine.
To view this special report and read an extended Q & A with Dr. Catlin, go to www.universalsports.com.INTERVIEW: Below are a few excerpts from Schlanger and Gogulski’s interview with Dr. Catlin. If used, please note the mandatory credit: “In an exclusive interview that aired on Universal Sports.”Schlanger: What is clenbuterol and why is it considered a performance enhancer?Dr. Catlin: It’s a drug that has been around for many years. It does two things, it enhances performance by being anabolic and also it has stimulant activity. It is a very unusual drug because it has these two effects.Gogulski: When you think about it, the amount that was found in Contador’s system is a very small amount; do you think that could have actually increased his performance?Dr. Catlin: That’s really hard to say. We don’t have that kind of data. We don’t have studies of this. You rarely find very much clenbuterol under any circumstances, it is a very potent drug and little tiny bits can show up. But, we don’t have data that says yes this is an amount that can increase performance.Schlanger: Well doctor, in terms of clearing his name and continuing into the sport, that he obviously has a huge presence and a large stature, how much of an uphill battle does Contador now face?Dr. Catlin: Well it’s about as enormous as you can get. Unfortunately, it is very sad. It’s sad for cycling and for him. Everybody knows cycling has had troubles, but they seemed to be on the right track lately. But, this is a big, big setback, because unless somebody can come up with an explanation that makes a whole lot of sense, and I haven’t heard that yet, then you know it is another case of doping. Unfortunately, you know even if the athlete is innocent, the WADA rules are going to kick him out.
Certainly some bad timing for cycling which has been under suspicion and it’s biggest star, Lance Armstrong, is also coming under Federal scrutiny. We haven’t heard the last of this.
