Team Sky and Bradley Wiggins may have resorted to performance-enhancing drugs on the pretext of attending to a legitimate medical condition in order to win the 2012 Tour De France, according to a report referred to by The Guardian .
The report has been brought out by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee. It states, "From the evidence that has been received by the committee, we believe that this powerful corticosteroid [triamcinolone] was being used to prepare Bradley Wiggins, and possibly other riders supporting him, for the Tour de France."
"The purpose of this was not to treat medical need, but to improve his power-to-weight ratio ahead of the race. The application for the TUE for the triamcinolone for Bradley Wiggins, ahead of the 2012 Tour de France, also meant that he benefited from the performance-enhancing properties of this drug during the race."
Wiggins, however, has "strongly refuted the claim that any drug was used without medical need."
“I find it so sad that accusations can be made, where people can be accused of things they have never done which are then regarded as facts. I hope to have my say in the next few days and put to my side across," he said in his defence.
‘Surprised and disappointed’
Team Sky, in its statement, said, "We are surprised and disappointed that the committee has chosen to present an anonymous and potentially malicious claim in this way, without presenting any evidence or giving us an opportunity to respond. This is unfair both to the team and to the riders in question.
“We take our responsibility to the sport seriously. We are committed to creating an environment at Team Sky where riders can perform to the best of their ability, and do it clean.”
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