Federation vows to improve medical record keeping after scathing criticism
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David Brailsford and Shane Sutton
There was plenty of British support in the stands(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
After taking harsh criticism from Parliament's Department of Culture Media and Sports (DCMS) over its failures to adequately document what medicine was delivered from its headquarters in Manchester to Bradley Wiggins at the Criterium du Dauphine in 2011, British Cycling has promised to bolster its medical records keeping practices.
The federation could not back up Team Sky's David Brailsford's assertions that the package, which was taken from Manchester to France by Simon Cope, contained Fluimucil.
"First of all, it's absolutely damning that there are no records," Collins said. "How can you run a clean team or a clean sport when you don't know what the doctor is giving the cyclists? That's at the heart of this. I think that the credibility of the Fluimucil story has been undermined by the fact that there are no records. Not only are there no records of Fluimucil being supplied on that race, they can't provide any records of it ever being supplied by British Cycling to Team Sky. That undermines the credibility of that story."
In a statement, British cycling acknowledged "serious failings" in their record keeping, and has identified "further areas for improvement".
British Cycling chair Jonathan Browning said, "Following the comments from UKAD chief executive Nicole Sapstead, we can announce the following measures to address clear failings in our processes highlighted in the investigation:
"First, an audit of our medical services provided to the Great Britain Cycling Team – we have taken the initial steps to enable the Care Quality Commission to examine the medical support we offer to our athletes and to identify areas of improvement.
"Second, a further review of the Great Britain Cycling Team's medicines management policy – we will be seeking UKAD support in this."
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British Cycling reiterated its commitment to clean sport in light of the months of scrutiny it has faced over the package sent to Wiggins.
"For anyone lucky enough to be working in any sport, it is not enough to just be clean, we must also be able to demonstrate that we are clean with transparent and accountable processes including good record-keeping and solid policies on all areas of medical support," Browning said.
"This is a fundamental responsibility, rooted in our duty to the athletes in our care as well as in our duty to the sport, and one which we take extremely seriously."
