European Newspaper step in:

[Amsterhammer]

Stands out like a sore thumb, doesn't it...you know, the spanish authorities really need to get their house in order - when the king himself backs dopers, the cultures in trouble - and it's not fair on the spanish people who are no more corrupt or naive than anyone else.

Pity no american, german or russian paper - but I'd say they have less general interest in the sport. also interesting that the Times - owned by same guys as Sky - have put GB in the thick of this mix - with rumours that Cookson was one of those calling for Heins head yesterday - feels like a powerplay - GB sees an opening to become a 'traditional' power; just as spain is in economic and cycling trouble. - As someone once said "never let a crises go to waste!"

FYI - this is at the end of the letter in Het Nieuwsblad:

De open brief wordt ondertekend door Het Nieuwsblad, Le Soir, L’Equipe, The Times en
La Gazzetta dello Sport. De Spaanse krant El Pais steunt de actie maar heeft geen policy van open brieven, en maakt daarom een editoriaal. Datzelfde geldt voor de collega’s van de Duitse krant Süddeutsche Zeitung en de Nederlandse krant De Telegraaf.

This open letter is signed by HN, Le Soir, L'Equipe, The Times and La Gazzetta. The Spanish paper El Pais supports this initiative but has no policy of 'open letters', so they are publishing an editorial. The same is true for our colleagues at the German Süddeutsche Zeitung and at the Dutch Telegraaf.

 

[Arnout]

Did I miss the part where the media accepts their responsibility for not reporting what was obviously going on?

On a Dutch forum it is reported that it was in the original letter but The Times didn't want it in there, so they all scrapped that part.

 

[Carols]

People are up in Arms, we cannot let this opportunity slip away!!! Chapeau I say!!

Keep the Pressure ON and the newspapers is one of the best ways to do it.

UCI must NOT be allowed slide this one under the rug!

Chapeau, Chapeau, Chapeau!!!!

 

[D-Queued]

This is great.

Long overdue, but great.

I wish more newspapers had the guts to do this. We are barely at the editorial stage, and independent blogs, from various sportwriters who have been influential in supporting the fraud.

They have been duped, and they have duped their readers.

A retraction isn't good enough and a sports column isn't good enough. They owe their readers a statement like these organizations have provided.

Dave.

 

[balkou]

Well, you cannot accuse l'Equipe of not having reported on LA's fraud. Unfortunately, owners changd their minds 2009 with Juan Pelota's come back.

Actually they printed the "he lies" story, only after he had retired. And whenever they see money bills being waved at them, be it german marks, us dollars or british pounds, they begin to drool all over.

It's good though, that they build some pressure to UCI, but I don't trust them to be at the forefront of the decision-making. In addition being race organisers (RCS and ASO) they have a COI.

 

[mountainrman]

i am not sure that accountability of sponsors is sensible on several fronts.
1/ It is unlikely they are involved in doping, and most would not want it anywhere near their brands. Rabobank have said just that.
2/ Action against or responsibility for sponsors would drive away the few who are still willing to get involved in this farce.

I wonder why the newspaper group did not get a big name from cycling media to join them

 

[Don Quixote]

Their statement :
The Times version is : http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/cycling/article3581560.ece
Full french version

Quite. Chivalry does not demand that a Ship goes down with her Captain.

 

[cineteq]

A Spanish newspaper.
EL PERIÓDICO se adhiere al manifiesto por un ciclismo creíble
http://www.elperiodico.com/es/notic...r.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=deportes

 

[martinvickers]

A Spanish newspaper.
EL PERIÓDICO se adhiere al manifiesto por un ciclismo creíble
http://www.elperiodico.com/es/notic...r.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=deportes

Excellent. First crack in the Spanish Omerta (well, Catalan ;-)) - will the Madridistas have the courage to follow suit?

 

[martinvickers]

thank you for this - "no policy" of open letters seems odd - but an editorial is just as good. Here's hoping, and pushing forward.

 

[ToreBear]

If the UCI allows wada to set up an investigation and allows wada to decide the frame of refference, I will be happy.

Solutions to fix the problems are usually best found after all the problems have been discovered.

 

[Oldman]

I agree with Wiggo and others that this could represent an opportunity for New Sponsors. If all of us keep the pressure on and acknowledge that there is hope when the UCI is flushed out; the new image could be the media and sponsor draw.
We all hoped change would come but it's far from a done deal. USACycling as a National federation would be a good house to clean up. I'm hoping the US press keeps up the pursuit of Birotte's political decision and get down to the serious perpetrators that still control USAC. Puerto and Italian investigations could have a parallel effect. Keep talking about it.

 

[summerhill]

On a Dutch forum it is reported that it was in the original letter but The Times didn't want it in there, so they all scrapped that part.

Behind the paywall, and around the Joint Statement, the Times says this:

.................The media shares some responsibility for this malaise. Some have battled the evils of doping, but others have not done enough. It is clear that in the future we will need to be more vigilant, to ask more questions. But the principal responsibility lies with all those within the sport of cycling - governing bodies, sponsors, team managers, race promoters and athletes............

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Is there any doping going on right now? Any performances from the last 3 years that look suspicious? Any race reports from 2009 worded along the lines of

"unexpected 4th place finish"?

or

"suprise 4th placed finish"?

where 3 years ago it was an unexpected surprise but today it's accepted as fait accompli that that same surprise 3 years ago will now dominate the season from start to finish, even as he stumbles over his own tongue describing how his transformation was brought about?

Great, there's a manifesto, but if you seriously think nothing's happening right now, that there's no contemperaneous performances that bear scrutiny, none of which is being applied, then this manifesto is for nought.

It is clear that in the future we will need to be more vigilant, to ask more questions. But the principal responsibility lies with all those within the sport of cycling - governing bodies, sponsors, team managers, race promoters and athletes............

It is not only in the future you need to be more diligent, but also in the present, and with the very recent past.