Olympic gold cyclist facing the sack over blood doping

Published on Thursday 23 September 2004 01:40

OLYMPIC cycling champion Tyler Hamilton was suspended yesterday by his Phonak team, which threatened to fire him if he cannot prove he is innocent of blood doping.

The team and Hamilton were awaiting results of ‘B’ samples after tests at the Athens Olympics on 19 August and at the Spanish Vuelta on 11 September showed evidence of blood from another person.

The ‘B’ test began on Tuesday and was expected to be completed yesterday. If found guilty of a violation at the Olympics, Hamilton would lose his gold.

In a statement, Phonak team manager Andy Rihs said: "For the moment, we have to concentrate on facts. These seem to speak against Tyler. But so long as we’re not 100 per cent certain that he’s guilty of manipulation, we will believe him."

However, immediately below Rihs’s statement, Phonak said Hamilton’s suspension would hold "pending further notice" until the tests and proceedings were completed, and that the American would be fired if he failed to prove his innocence.

The team’s stance is a far cry from the staunch support it showed Hamilton on Tuesday, when Rihs declared he didn’t "fire innocent people," before adding: "Tyler is innocent as long as no one proves the contrary."

Hamilton, 33, said on Tuesday he was 100 per cent innocent and denied ever receiving a transfusion - which can boost an athlete’s performance by increasing the amount of oxygen-transporting red blood cells in his system.

"Already it has ruined a lot for me - my reputation," Hamilton said. "There are personal sponsors pulling out. It’s sad."

If Hamilton’s ‘B’ test shows proof of a blood transfusion, it would mark the first positive blood doping case.