Conflict of interest apparent, Belgian was accused of carrying out transfusions in USADA report
Following on from the arrest this month of former pro and recent Vuelta doping control chaperone Jose Luis Martinez in connection with a doping ring, another question mark has been raised today over the vetting process for those overseeing athletes.
According to Belgian newspaper De Morgene, the doctor Dag Van Elslande acted as a doping control tester in the Flemish region during the 90s and until 2004. He was then relieved of his position when it became clear that he was working with cycling teams.
Van Elslande worked as a doctor for Lance Armstrong’s U.S. Postal, Discovery Channel, Astana and RadioShack teams.
L’Equipe reports that in Floyd Landis’ statement connected to his whistleblower case, the American accused Van Elslande of carrying out illegal blood transfusions. The same accusation was made about an individual whose name was redacted to ‘Other 5’ in the USADA report; Levi Leipheimer and Dave Zabriskie also accused Other 5 of being invovled in doping practices.
That news and the earlier arrest of Martinez will raise questions about their sincerity in working in the field of anti-doping, and shows that authorities need to be more discerning in accepting people to carry out these roles.
Martinez was implicated in the 2006 Operacion Puerto scandal, yet was able to get work as a doping control chaperone in the Vuelta.