Chris Froome says the TUE system is ‘open to abuse’
By Allan Valente
Last Updated: 05/10/16 1:15pm
Chris Froome says the Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) system is "open to abuse" and has called on the International Cycling Union (UCI) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to "urgently address" the situation.
On Monday, Team Sky team principal Sir Dave Brailsford defended the decision to seek three TUEs for Sir Bradley Wiggins to be injected with the corticosteroid triamcinolone in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Team Sky's Froome, who won his third Tour de France title in four years in July, said he does not have a "win at all costs" approach to sport and has never pushed the boundaries of what is allowed, calling on the UCI and WADA to address the issue.
In a post on his Twitter page, Froome said: "I take my position in the sport very seriously and I know that I have to not only abide by the rules, but also go above and beyond that to set a good example both morally and ethically.
"It is clear that the TUE system is open to abuse and I believe that this is something that the UCI and WADA needs to urgently address. At the same time there are athletes who not only abide by the rules that are in place, but also those of fair play.
"I have never had a 'win at all costs' approach in this regard. I am not looking to push the boundaries of the rules. I believe that this is something that athletes need to take responsibility for themselves, until more stringent protocols can be put in place."
Froome has spoken publicly about being granted TUEs before, with the 31-year-old saying in the summer that he had used TUEs twice during his career for exacerbated asthma, in 2013 and 2014.
Brailsford said Team Sky will reveal all cases where its riders have been given permission to use banned substances in future after Wiggins' use of the powerful anti-inflammatory drug to treat breathing difficulties before his 2012 Tour de France victory, and insisted the team is "100 per cent clean and does things in the right way".
Despite calls for a more transparent system, WADA is not convinced that publishing TUEs is fair or sensible and has described the current debate as "very unfortunate", as it is based on "partial, confidential medical information".
The organisation has defended the "robust" TUE system and said athletes had a "fundamental human right" to have their personal medical information kept confidential.
"Nobody would want such information disclosed, let alone for it to be debated publicly," the statement continued.
"Athletes should not be required to publish their TUE information, which may disclose their disease or condition, nor should they be required to publicly defend their legitimate use of a TUE.
"The TUE programme is a rigorous and necessary part of elite sport and has the overwhelming backing of athletes, physicians and all anti-doping stakeholders.
"The notion of precluding athletes that suffer from illnesses and conditions such as diabetes, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatological conditions from sport cannot be given serious consideration.
"It would undermine a fundamental value of sport that is the right of access to sport and play, which has long been recognised by numerous international conventions."
