(ap) french prez. Sarkozy gets involved

[DAOTEC]

Sarkozy is going to help the Tour fight doping

Jul 2, 10:35 pm EDT

PARIS (AP)—French president Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged his support to help the Tour de France fight the scourge of doping.

Sarkozy said again today that “it was necessary to support the Tour de France and its organizers,” his government spokesman Luc Chatel said.

The showcase race has been marred by a string of doping controversies over the past three years, and Sarkozy was commenting after new French sports minister Rama Yade had also spoken out against doping.

Yade said that this year’s Tour will be particularly scrutinized by police to help the fight against doping.

Sarkozy plans to follow one of this year’s Tour stages, but it is not yet known which one he will attend.

The Tour starts Saturday in Monaco and finishes in Paris on July 26.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Yade said that this year’s Tour will be particularly scrutinized by police to help the fight against doping.

They've developed a BS (banned substance) scanner that riders will have to pass through (like at airports) before every stage, and at random times during the night at gunpoint.

 

[Escarabajo]

Sarkozy is going to help the Tour fight doping

Jul 2, 10:35 pm EDT

PARIS (AP)—French president Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged his support to help the Tour de France fight the scourge of doping.

Sarkozy said again today that “it was necessary to support the Tour de France and its organizers,” his government spokesman Luc Chatel said.

The showcase race has been marred by a string of doping controversies over the past three years, and Sarkozy was commenting after new French sports minister Rama Yade had also spoken out against doping.

Yade said that this year’s Tour will be particularly scrutinized by police to help the fight against doping.

Sarkozy plans to follow one of this year’s Tour stages, but it is not yet known which one he will attend.

The Tour starts Saturday in Monaco and finishes in Paris on July 26.

And this is in the doping section bacause Sarkozy wants to fight against doping??? This is silly stupid.

 

[BikeCentric]

Sarkozy is going to help the Tour fight doping

Jul 2, 10:35 pm EDT

PARIS (AP)—French president Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged his support to help the Tour de France fight the scourge of doping.

Sarkozy said again today that “it was necessary to support the Tour de France and its organizers,” his government spokesman Luc Chatel said.

The showcase race has been marred by a string of doping controversies over the past three years, and Sarkozy was commenting after new French sports minister Rama Yade had also spoken out against doping.

Yade said that this year’s Tour will be particularly scrutinized by police to help the fight against doping.

Sarkozy plans to follow one of this year’s Tour stages, but it is not yet known which one he will attend.

The Tour starts Saturday in Monaco and finishes in Paris on July 26.

This is really good news. I follow politics very closely and Sarkozy does seem to be a big cycling fan from past interviews. Granted it helps him politically to be a big supporter of the Tour because the Tour is intertwined with French Nationalism. Regardless, he could very easily put himself on the side of "let's not talk about doping and sweep it under the rug because it's bad publicity." But if the most powerful man in France has decided to come out against doping publicly, this can only be good for the sport in the long run.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I agree with BikeCentric.

Though it appears a little political on the surface, I think if he's serious, good things could come of it. People say he's flamboyant and such, but he's a very smart and shall I say, cunning man who seems to dive himself into issues.

Police raids suck, but happen for a reason. I'm okay with them happening, as long as they are done in a civil manner, like they have been in recent years. The mess of 1998 doesn't need to really be repeated when fights nearly broke out between riders and gendarmes.