Spain’s doping case threatens to expose more names

MADRID: A Spanish court reversed a decision on Tuesday to destroy blood bags seized as part of a major doping scandal affecting cycling and other sports, which may

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MADRID: A Spanish court reversed a decision on Tuesday to destroy blood bags seized as part of a major doping scandal affecting cycling and other sports, which may allow authorities to identify more athletes implicated in the case.

A major embarrassment for Spain, the so-called Operation Puerto case centres on disgraced doctor Eufemiano Fuentes who gave performance-enhancing blood transfusions to top cyclists, and also admitted to having worked with as yet unidentified footballers, tennis players and boxers.

Fuentes was found guilty of endangering public health in a 2013 trial, but the judge at the time refused to give anti-doping authorities access to the 211 blood bags seized in 2006 from his apartments, and ordered them destroyed on privacy grounds.

On Tuesday, a court in Madrid reversed that decision, ruling that the bags be handed over to several entities including the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

“The stated aim is to fight doping,” the court said in a statement, adding that there was “a risk that other sportspeople could be tempted by doping.”

So far only cyclists, including 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich, have been publicly named as being Fuentes’ clients. But former cyclist Jesus Manzano, a whistleblower in the case, claims to have seen prominent footballers being treated by Fuentes.

Tuesday’s decision means that WADA, the International Cycling Union(UCI) and other anti-doping entities should be able to analyse the blood bags and identify other athletes who may have used the performance-enhancing transfusions.