Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/732282
22 THE three-time Tour de France winner says the current system is "open to abuse". In a post on his Twitter, Froome said he does not have a "win at all costs" approach to sport and has never pushed the boundaries of what is allowed. Froome said athletes need "to take responsibility for themselves, until more stringent protocols can be put in place". Froome, who won his third Tour de France title in four years in July, added: "I take my position in sport very seriously and I know that I have to not only abide by the rules, but also go above and beyond that to set a good example both mor- ally and ethically. "It is clear that the TUE (thera- peutic use exemption) system is open to abuse and I believe that this is something the UCI (cy- cling's governing body) and WA- DA (World Anti-Doping Agency) need to urgently address. "At the same time, there are ath- letes who not only abide by the rules that are in place, but also those of fair play. "I have never had a 'win at all costs' approach in this regard. I am not looking to push the boundaries of the rules. "I believe that is something that athletes need to take responsi- bility for themselves, until more stringent protocols can be put in place." The 31-year-old rider's com- ments come a fortnight after a group of Russian computer hack- ers, known as the Fancy Bears, started releasing medical data be- longing to more than 100 leading athletes that it stole from WADA. The Fancy Bears have pub- lished therapeutic use exemp- tions (TUEs) - effectively doctors' notes - that have permitted these athletes to use drugs on WADA's banned list but only for recog- nised medical conditions and un- der strict circumstances. Froome has had two TUEs leaked online, both for a week's oral course of the anti-inflamma- tory drug prednisolone, to treat chest infections that aggravated his asthma in 2013 and 2014. The second of those was the subject of some controversy at the time as Froome had already started the Tour of Romandie, a key Tour de France warm-up race, having quit a race a week before feeling unwell. He would eventually win the Swiss race, for a second straight year, but the fact Team Sky let him start, and then applied for permission to use medicine with performance-enhancing effects so he could carry on, was widely criticised. There was, however, no sug- gestion he or the team broke any rules and cycling's world govern- ing body the UCI, and WADA, cleared them of any wrongdoing. Wiggins' case is more problem- atic, although he too has abided by the rules. The 36-year-old British star re- ceived three TUEs for intramus- cular injections of the powerful corticosteroid triamcinolone on the eve of the 2011 and 2012 Tours de France and 2013 Giro d'Italia - his three biggest races in each of those seasons. Triamcinolone has been de- scribed by several former dop- ers as one of the most effective performance-enhancing drugs and it is believed to help athletes lose weight without losing power, postpone fatigue and aid recovery. The disgraced Lance Armstrong tested positive for it at the 1999 Tour but used a bogus TUE to avoid an anti-doping violation. Wiggins, a life-long asthma suf- ferer with an allergy to pollen, told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday that he was not seeking "an unfair advantage" when he used the drug but was trying to "level the playing field so he could compete at the highest level". He said he had been "struggling" with his breathing and was wor- ried about it getting worse during the three weeks of a Grand Tour. He then told Marr he had been advised by a Team Sky doctor that there was "something you can do but you're going to need authori- sation from cycling's governing body". The five-time Olympic cham- pion said he was seen by a special- ist - understood to be Simon Har- greaves at Royal Bolton Hospital - who prescribed the drug, which was then authorised by a three- man panel at the UCI. Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brails- ford backed Wiggins' version of events on Monday, saying the 2012 Tour champion had a genu- ine need for the drug that was sup- ported by the team doctor, verified by a specialist and sanctioned by the authorities. He said he trusted the "integrity" of this system and would do it again under the same circumstances. Brailsford also denied there were any similarities between those who had "abused" triamcinolone in the past - taking it with a "cock- tail of drugs" - and what the team did in Wiggins' case, and said fans could "100 per cent" trust him that Team Sky remained commit- ted to clean sport. He did, however, admit that the fallout from the leaks could lead the team to disclose all of its TUEs publicly, to ensure complete transparency, but said the rights of athletes to privacy must still be considered. Froome, who replaced Wiggins as Team Sky's leader in 2013, has already told the Daily Telegraph that he did not know about his for- mer team-mate's injections when he helped him to win the 2012 Tour. Today's contribution to the TUEs debate will only worsen the pair's already decidedly frosty re- lationship. Neither the UCI or WADA have so far responded to requests for comment. maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2016 Sport MOTORSPORTS CYCLING BMW joins Andretti in Formula E, considering works team BMW will work with the U.S.- based Andretti Formula E team this season before a possible fac- tory involvement in the electric series from 2018, the German manufacturer said on Tuesday. Formula E's third season starts in Hong Kong on Oct. 9. The championship has attract- ed growing manufacturer inter- est, with Jaguar making its debut this year and Renault, Citroen's DS brand, Audi and India's Ma- hindra already involved. "Over the coming years, the cooperation with Andretti For- mula E will primarily focus on familiarising ourselves with the procedures and processes, and on intensif ying our knowledge," said BMW motorsport director Jens Marquardt in a statement. "Our works driver Antonio Felix da Costa will be in action behind the wheel. A works in- volvement is then conceivable as of the series' fifth season. "The premise for all these steps is the further positive develop- ment of the series, which in- cludes increasing the capacity of the batteries, for example." BMW are already involved in the city-based electric series as official vehicle provider and supplier of the safety and medi- cal cars with the fully-electric i3 and plug-in hybrid i8 models. The Bavarian manufactur- er withdrew from Formula One in 2009. The batteries in Formula E cars are unable at present to last for a full race distance, with drivers having to pit and switch cars. That is due to change by season five, with the result of a battery tender due to announced immi- nently by the sport's governing body, the FIA. "We are in a great position now. We are going to be racing in the heart of Hong Kong in only a few days...with teams like Jaguar, Au- di, Renault, Citroen DS, BMW," Formula E chief executive Ale- jandro Agag told Reuters. "I think we are doing pretty well already now, but year five is going to be a very visible year of the consolidation of the very long term series that is here to stay." The Andretti Formula E team is run by Michael Andretti, the 1991 CART champion and son of 1978 Formula One champion Mario. Chris Froome calls for urgent drugs reform Chris Froome has called for urgent reform of the rules allowing athletes to take drugs that would normally be banned under sport's anti-doping protocols Chris Froome