The marathon world record holder issued a strongly-worded
statement after MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee began an
investigation into blood doping in the sport.
Committee chairman Jesse Norman was questioning David
Kenworthy, chairman of UK Anti-Doping, when he seemed to raise suspicions about
a prominent British marathon runner.
He asked Mr Kenworthy during the House of Commons hearing:
"When you hear that the London Marathon, potentially the
winners or
medallists at the London Marathon, potentially British athletes are under
suspicion for very high levels of blood doping....When you think of the effect
that has on young people and the community nature of that event, what are your
emotions about that, how do you feel about that?"
Mr Kenworthy said: "I think it is a tragedy if you and
I are looking at a sporting event with a degree of cynicism about what we are
seeing. I think it is our role to overcome that cynicism."
Radcliffe, 41, immediately hit back by issuing a statement
saying: "I categorically deny that I have resorted to cheating in any form
whatsoever at any time in my career, and am devastated that my name has even
been linked to these wide-ranging accusations."
The hearing was set up after Dr Michael Ashenden helped
produce a controversial analysis which suggested the International Association
of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had turned a blind eye to hundreds of
suspicious blood tests.
The claims by German broadcaster ARD and The Sunday Times
appeared last month.
Radcliffe said: "I have campaigned long and hard
throughout my career for a clean sport. I have publicly condemned cheats and
those who aid them. These accusations threaten to undermine all I have stood
and competed for, as well as my hard earned reputation. By linking me to
allegations of cheating, damage done to my name and reputation can never be
fully repaired, no matter how untrue I know them to be.
"Whilst I have the greatest of respect for anyone
responsibly trying to uncover cheating in sport, and of course for Parliament
itself, it is profoundly disappointing that the cloak of Parliamentary
privilege has been used to effectively implicate me, tarnishing my reputation,
with full knowledge that I have no recourse against anyone for repeating what
has been said at the committee hearing."
The Sunday Times said it had gained access to a database
containing more than 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes, and that more than
800 individuals - and a third of medallists in endurance events at Olympics and
World Championships between 2001 and 2012 - had suspicious blood test results
which were not followed up by the IAAF.
No comments:
Post a Comment