Festina affair

Last updated
Festina affair
Native name affaire Festina
DateJuly 8, 1998 – July 17, 2001 (1998-07-08 – 2001-07-17)
Location
TypeUse of erythropoietin (EPO) and other substances during the 1998 Tour de France
Theme Doping scandal
Participants
Accused
  • Richard Virenque
    (Festina cyclist; cleared from the criminal charge of "inciting the administration of doping and masking products to others and complicity in the importation of drugs" [6] )
  • Dr Eric Rijkaert
    (Former Festina doctor; charges dropped due to ill health [7] )
Convicted
  1. Willy Voet
    (Festina soigneur)
  2. Bruno Roussel
    (Festina Directeur sportif)
  3. Jef d'Hont
    (La Française des Jeux soigneur)
  4. Jean Dalibot
    (former Festina soigneur)
  5. Joel Chabiron
    (Festina communication officer)
  6. Christine and Éric Paranier
    (Pharmacists)
  7. Dr Nicolas Terrados
    (Team ONCE doctor)
  8. Cees Priem
    (TVM Directeur sportif)
  9. Andrei Mikhailov
    (TVM doctor)
  10. Jan Moors
    (TVM soigneur)
Sentence
  1. Voet: 10-month suspended sentence; fined F30,000
  2. Roussel: 1-year suspended sentence; fined F50,000 [8]
  3. d'Hont: nine-month suspended sentence; fined F20,000
  4. Dalibot: five-month suspended sentence
  5. Chabiron: five-month suspended sentence
  6. C. Paranier: fined F30,000;
    É. Paranier: fined F10,000
  7. Terrados: fined F30,000
  8. Priem: 18-month suspended sentence; fined F80,000
  9. Mikhailov: 1-year suspended sentence; fined F60,000
  10. Moors: six-month suspended sentence; fined F40,000
SuspensionsVirenque: nine-month ban by the Swiss cycling federation and fined CHF4,000 [6]

The Festina affair was a series of doping scandals within the sport of professional cycling that occurred during and after the 1998 Tour de France. The affair began when a large haul of doping products was found in a support car belonging to the Festina cycling team just before the start of the race. A resulting investigation revealed systematic doping involving many teams in the Tour de France. Hotels where teams were staying were raided and searched by police, confessions were made by several retired and current riders, and team personnel were arrested or detained. Several teams withdrew completely from the race.

Contents

By December 2000, all nine Festina riders had confessed to using erythropoietin (EPO) and other substances during the 1998 Tour de France, and suspended sentences ranging from 5–12 months were handed out to Festina soigneur Willy Voet, Festina manager Bruno Roussel, La Française des Jeux soigneur Jef d'Hont, former Festina soigneur Jean Dalibot, and Festina communication officer Joel Chabiron. The two accused pharmacists, Éric Paranier and Christine Paranier, along with Team ONCE physician Nicolás Terrados, were only given fines, while the case against Festina doctor Eric Rijckaert was dropped because of his deteriorating health.

Events

Doping in the Festina team

On July 8, 1998, Festina soigneur Willy Voet was stopped by customs officers at the French-Belgian border close to Neuville-en-Ferrain, near the city of Lille. Officers discovered several hundred grams and capsules of anabolic steroids, erythropoietin (EPO), syringes, and other doping products. Voet was taken into police custody. Festina offices were searched in Lyon and seized other suspect products, including perfluorocarbon. [9]

Two days after the arrest, Bruno Roussel, directeur sportif of Festina, denied any involvement with the uncovered drugs. [10] However, the following day, French police announced that on top of the contraband items found in Voet's car, a document was discovered at Festina's headquarters which detailed systematic drug programmes for the team's riders. [11] As the Tour de France began in Dublin, it was announced that the Festina riders Richard Virenque, Alex Zülle and Laurent Dufaux would face questioning when they returned to France.

On July 15, Roussel and Festina team doctor Eric Rijckaert were arrested in Cholet, and the team's hotel was searched by eight gendarmes. [1] Roussel lost his licence as a manager of a cycling team from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), but Virenque, Dufaux and Brochard called a press conference and stated that the Festina team would not withdraw from the race. [12] However, Tour de France race directeur Jean-Marie Leblanc expelled Festina from the Tour after Roussel confessed to systematic doping on the team. [13] [14] The following day, Virenque left the Tour in tears. [15]

Nine riders and three officials from Festina were taken into police custody on July 23; of the entire team, only Christophe Bassons was not arrested nor implicated in doping. [16] Eric van de Sijpe, a Belgian judge, ordered a search of Rijckaert's office, whereby the police obtained computer files proving the riders were using EPO. Virenque, Dufaux, Pascal Hervé, Didier Rous, Alex Zülle, and Armin Meier were questioned in Lyon and held in police custody. [17] All nine of the implicated riders were escorted to a hospital and made to undergo extensive tests and give blood, hair and urine samples. [18]

Upon release the following day, five Festina riders (Zülle, Dufaux, Moreau, Brochard and Meier) admitted to doping while Virenque and Hervé maintained their innocence. Zülle claimed that he needed to engage in doping to satisfy Festina's corporate sponsors, while Dufaux stated that he confessed due to overwhelming evidence collected by police. [3] In custody, Voet and Roussel explained how doping was organised on the Festina team, and claimed that the other cycling teams are involved in smuggling banned substances. [19] On July 27, Festina rider Neil Stephens admitted taking performance-enhancing drugs but claimed that he thought the EPO injections were legal supplements. [5]

Doping in TVM

On July 19, 1998, the day after Festina left the Tour, the French daily Aujourd’hui reported that police had found 104 ampules of EPO in a vehicle belonging to the TVM team during a routine customs check close to Reims in northeast France. [20] On the same day as the Festina arrests, French police raided TVM's hotel in Pamiers, resulting in the arrest and detainment of TVM manager Cees Priem and TVM doctor Andrei Michailov. Four other TVM officials, including directeur sportif Hendrik Redant, were interrogated and released. Police found drug evidence in a suitcase and a rubbish bin in TVM's hotel rooms in Toulouse and Metz. [2] An investigation into TVM was launched on July 24. [21]

On July 28, the TVM team was met by police in Albertville. Six TVM riders, including Jeroen Blijlevens, Bart Voskamp, Servais Knaven and Steven de Jongh, were taken in the night to a hospital where they gave blood, hair, and urine samples; TVM soigneur Jan Moors was arrested. Police also took three cases, a sports bag and a dustbin from the TVM team. Afterwards, the rest of the team were taken into custody and escorted to the hospital for extensive drug tests. [22]

Impact on the Tour

Other cycling teams on the Tour expressed support for the embattled riders, and objected to their treatment as criminals. Banesto and Team ONCE expressed support for a statement by International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch that performance-enhancing drugs should be legalized.

On July 29, the Tour peloton conducted an industrial action by cycling slowly. Team ONCE, led by French champion Laurent Jalabert, pulled out first while the Banesto and Riso Scotti teams left at the feeding zone. The peloton stopped a second time and threatened a mass withdrawal, leading the stage to be cancelled. That afternoon, raids were conducted on Team ONCE, Team Polti, La Française des Jeux, Lotto and Casino. Team managers Marc Madiot (La Française des Jeux) and Vincent Lavenu (Casino) and rider Rodolfo Massi (Casino) were arrested. [23] Kelme and Vitalicio Seguros pulled out of the race the following day. Blijlevens pulled out near the border with Switzerland. Massi, leader of the Mountains classification, was not able to start the stage as he was still being held in police custody. The Casino team truck was seized by police, while the Festina riders reportedly implicated La Française des Jeux, Casino and Big Mat in the team's doping scheme. [24]

The TVM team who did not start the 19th stage and returned to the Netherlands on July 31. Massi questioned by an investigating magistrate as suspicions mounted that he was involved in Festina's doping network. [25] At this stage there are fewer than one hundred riders in the race compared to the 189 riders that started the race. [26] On August 1, Massi was charged with inciting and facilitating the use of doping. [27] In Reims, TVM riders submitted to several hours of questioning, after which team masseur Johannes Moors was jailed for suspicion of possessing drugs and breaches of French customs laws. Police soon found banned substances in the hotel of Team ONCE, which Terrados claimed were used by support staff.

August 4, 1998: Jean-Marie Leblanc acknowledges that the increasing speed of the peloton in the Tour was due to the increasing use of doping in the peloton. [28]

August 5, 1998: The media contains many reports of drug finds along the route of the Tour – by farmers or by police in the hotels used by teams – for example a hotel in Voreppe used by GAN, Casino, Saeco and Kelme.

August 10, 1998: Cantina Tollo and La Française des Jeux vehicles are searched by French customs officials.

Post-tour investigation

September 13, 1998: Two pharmacists Christine and Eric Paranier are questioned in respect to supplying illegal doping products to Voet. [18]

September 18, 1998: Française des Jeux soigneur Jef d'Hont is taken into police custody and imprisoned for 11 days. [18]

September 23, 1998: Voet accuses Virenque of doping in the French newspaper Le Parisien . [18] Voet said to the newspaper that only three Festina riders were drug free. These were Christophe Bassons, Patrice Halgand and Laurent Lefèvre. [29]

October 15, 1998: There is a confrontation between Virenque, Voet and Rijckaert where Virenque calls himself an innocent victim. [18]

November 28, 1998: The results of the analysis of the samples taken from the nine Festina riders are known and are subsequently released and revealed evidence of Human Growth Hormone, amphetamines, steroids, corticoids and Erythropoietin (EPO). In eight of the nine riders test positive for synthetic EPO. The results of the ninth rider (Christophe Moreau) were indeterminate but Moreau had already admitted use of EPO. Traces of amphetamines were found in the samples of Moreau, Pascal Hervé, Laurent Brochard and Didier Rous. Four riders had hematocrit levels below the legal limit of 50%, establish in February 1997. [30] These included Virenque, Armin Meier, Moreau who had a level of 49.3 and Laurent Dufaux who had a level of 47.2%. Five riders were above the limit. Brochard had 50.3%, Neil Stephens 50.3%, Hervé 52.6%, Rous 51% and Alex Zülle 52.3%. [ citation needed ]

December 15, 1998: Laurent Brochard, Christophe Moreau and Didier Rous are suspended by the French Cycling Federation for six months and cannot ride until April 30, 1999. [31]

December 17, 1998: Team doctor of Team ONCE Nicolas Terrados is charged in relation to the import of banned substances. [32]

Investigation in 1999 and aftermath

January 26, 1999: Joel Chabiron, Festina communications director, is charged. [18]

March 23, 1999: Jean Marie Dalibot, the soigneur of Festina, is charged. [18]

March 26, 1999: Virenque is charged with inciting the use and administration of doping products to others. [18]

April 1, 1999: Jean-Marie Leblanc is taken into police custody and questioned. [18]

April 4, 1999: French Federation Cycling vice president Roger Legacy and President Baal are charged with violation of the anti-doping law of 1989. (These charges would be subsequently dropped). [18] 

June, 1999: In an interview with L'Équipe, Roussel alleged that when he told Virenque of Voet being arrested, Virenque replied mes produits, comment Je vais faire maintenant? which could be translated as my products/stuff – what am I going to do now? [33]

June 17, 1999: The organisers of the Tour de France announce the teams of the 1999 Tour de France where they take the unprecedented step of banning teams, team officials and individual riders. In the aftermath of the Festina affair, Virenque was banned together with his former teammate Hervé. Manolo Saiz, manager of ONCE–Deutsche Bank, Dr Nicolas Terrados team doctor of Team ONCE and the entire TVM–Farm Frites were also banned. This was in relation to the actions and behaviour of these teams and riders during the 1998 Tour. [34] [35]

Festina trial

October 23, 2000: Start of the Festina trial with ten people charged, including:

Witnesses included:

October 23, 2000: Erwann Menthéour's book, Secret Defonce: Ma vérité sur le dopage (February 1999) describes how he used EPO while riding for Française des Jeux in 1997, and stated that the soigneur of the Française des Jeux team, Jef d'Hont, was the one providing him with EPO and treating him with a glucose-infusion one hour ahead of a UCI hematocrit test in the 1997 edition of Paris–Nice, in a vain attempt to lower his hematocrit value below the 50%-limit. [38] He also stated that his team manager Marc Madiot had been fully aware of his EPO use in 1997. [39]

October 23, 2000: On the first day of the trial, Voet stated that he never let the hematocrit level of the riders exceed 54% whereas other teams were letting it go as high as 64%. This was under the order of team doctor Eric Rijckaert. [40]

October 24, 2000: Virenque admitted to doping. [41] [4]

October 25, 2000: Pascal Hervé, Virenque's friend and the only other Festina rider to deny doping, admitted to doping. [4] [42]

October 27, 2000: Former rider Thomas Davy testified at the trial that the teams Castorama, Banesto, Team Telekom and La Française des Jeux had been running organized systematic doping programs, similar to the one revealed at the Festina Team. He knew that from riding at Castorama (1992–94), Banesto (1995–96) and Française des Jeux (1997). His use of EPO started in 1995, and continued until the end of his career, after the 1997 season. When asked if Miguel Induráin at Banesto had also used EPO, he said "I don't know. I didn't go into every room, but I think he did". He stated that Jef d'Hont as the person supplying him with EPO while he was riding for Française des Jeux in 1997. [39]

November 1, 2000: On the stand UCI President Hein Verbruggen admitted that organised doping may exist. The following day several doctors of Spanish cycling teams refuted this statement. Jesús Hoyos (Banesto), Kepa Celaya (ONCE) and Eufemiano Fuentes (Kelme doctor) spoke to the Spanish daily paper As to refute this statement. [43] Fuentes would later emerge as the key figure in the Operación Puerto doping scandal.

December 22, 2000: Virenque was cleared from the criminal charge of "inciting the administration of doping and masking products to others and complicity in the importation of drugs". Voet was given a 10-month suspended sentence and a 30,000 franc fine. Bruno Roussel was given a suspended sentence of one year and a fine of 50,000 francs. [8] Christine Paranier received a 30,000 francs fine (4,573 euros). Her husband Éric received a fine of 10,000 francs (around 1,500 euros). Jef d'Hont received a nine-month suspended sentence and a fine of 20,000 francs (around 3,000 euros). Jean Dalibot and Joel Chabiron received a five-month suspended sentence. Dr. Terrados was given a 30,000 francs fine. The case against Eric Rijckaert was dropped due to his deteriorating health; he died of cancer a month later. [7]

December 30, 2000: Swiss cycling federation gave a nine-month ban to Virenque and a 4,000 Swiss franc fine. [6]

Books

Many books have been written about the Festina affair.

TVM affair

In the French judicial system, the TVM affair treated as an independent court case, though it is often referred to as part of the Festina affair since French police executed the TVM raid, interrogated six TVM riders, held several TVM key staff in custody, and performed additional advanced doping tests during the Festina investigation. After the public prosecutor in Reims had prepared the case, the court arbitration was conducted during 28–31 May 2001, with Cees Priem (TVM manager), Andrei Mikhailov (TVM doctor) and Jan Moors (TVM soigneur) being charged for import, transport and possession of doping/drugs on French soil.

Main events: [44]


TVM trial: [44]

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  50. ↑ "Cycling News and Analysis - News for November 27, 1998: Drugs Update". Cyclingnews. 27 November 1998. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  51. ↑ "Richard Virenque banned from Tour de France". Cyclingnews. 17 June 1999. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  52. ↑ "Virenque in the Tour". Cyclingnews. 30 June 1999. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  53. 1 2 3 "Verdediger TVM-ploeg heeft voor alles een verklaring" (in Dutch). Volkskrant.nl. 29 May 2001. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  54. 1 2 3 "Geldigheid van epo-test is cruciaal" (in Dutch). Trouw.nl. 29 May 2001. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  55. 1 2 "TVM'ers positief in Tour '98" (in Dutch). NRC.nl. 29 May 2001. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  56. ↑ "Le tribunal de Reims examine le dopage des TVM" (in French). Liberation. 29 May 2001. Retrieved 5 Aug 2013.
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