By Gene Cherry
RALEIGH, North Carolina, July 27 - Cycling's
anti-doping programme was criticised by World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA) leader Dick Pound on Thursday after Tour de France winner
Floyd Landis tested positive for the hormone testosterone.
"We have given suggestions to UCI (the world cycling
governing body) of what we think are serious gaps in their
testing protocols," Pound told Reuters in a telephone interview
from his Montreal office.
"We said that maybe one of the reasons you are not getting
the number of positive tests you should is that you have got
defects in the process."
Cycling was rocked again on Thursday when Landis's Phonak
team said the American had tested positive for the male sex
hormone.
If Landis's B sample confirms the result, the 30-year-old is
certain to be stripped of his victory, becoming the first Tour
winner to be disqualified for doping.
Even before the race, favourites Jan Ullrich of Germany and
Italian Ivan Basso and several riders were forced to pull out
because of links to a Spanish doping investigation.
Pound would not say WADA had lost confidence in the sport,
but he said changes must be made.
"The first thing is for them to acknowledge that there is a
problem that they have not be able to control," he said.
"There is no sport that is immune but cycling certainly has
a high proportion of doping."
He also placed weightlifting, athletics, football and
swimming in a troublesome category.
Asked whether high-profile doping cases had left the public
to wonder whether it can believe any sports performance, Pound
said, "We are in the process of reaping what we sowed.
"We let this (doping) problem get out of hand in the '50s,
'60s, '70s and '80s, and now you pay the price of when great
performances occur, people ask questions.
"We have got to win back the public's confidence."
Pound said anti-doping leaders should not quit the fight.
"What that means is your kids and my grandchildren are going
to be reconciled to becoming chemical stockpiles in order to be
good at sport," Pound said.
"Sport then faces a downward spiral where your sportspersons
become increasingly gladiatorial, doing exercises that mean
nothing and becoming increasing violent.
"If that is the price for being good in sport, I would
encourage them to go mountain climbing or fishing instead."