As one of your European correspondents, semi-competent in the 'Language of Molière' (French), I have found what may be a MONUMENTAL decision for the French Government, and its management of sports-doping control/testing.
A ZENmud WORLD Exclusive Report
The LNDD may be (is?) DEAD.
Memory lane: in July and August of 2006, the French Laboratoire national du dépistage du dopage (LNDD: roughly the "National Laboratory for the detection of doping"), had found in the course of its testing of Tour de France samples, a 'positive' result for one of Floyd Landis' eight tests; that test happened to follow the most amazing comeback (and how I hate use of the superlative, but: I was there...) in the Tour's recent history. (PHOTO: Professeur De Ceaurriz and M. Lamour, Ministre de la Jeunesse et Sports, colleague unknown)Structurally, the French laboratory was 'somehow' related to the Agence Française de lutte contre le dopage (AFLD).
I write 'somehow' because it has always been difficult to navigate the French ideas of governmental websites!
But your Humble Correspondent has uncovered a change, if I am correct, that abolishes the LNDD as it is named. The facts as I see them, are:
There is no current up-to-date LNDD website.
This link goes to a site - www.santesport.gouv.fr/ that has not apparently been updated since 2002 (or 2003).
If you see the URL, it carries the name -lndd- at the end of the string. If you search -LNDD- on the newer AFLD website ( www.afld.fr : search box in far upper right corner), you receive FIVE results: click on the second one "Missions de l'AFLD"... Read the second paragraph, headed by: Analyses
I hope you will trust my French translation skills, if yours are not as experienced. In French, the pertinent sentence reads:
"Le LNDD devenant un service de l’Agence en prenant le nom de Département des analyses, l’AFLD dispose de l’unique laboratoire accrédité en France auprès de l’Agence mondiale antidopage."
Can you believe?
Your eyes are clear, my friend(s)...
"The LNDD becoming a service of the Agency (ed: AFLD) in taking the name of 'Department of analyses', the AFLD offers the unique accredited laboratory in France in liaison with the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA)."
And if you search on the AFLD site, the 'Department of analyses', you will link to this page, which discusses how it follows ISO standards (ISO 17025) and is accredited by COFRAC (see ZENmud article discussing COFRAC here)
LNDD is DEAD.
LNDD has FAILED.
LNDD was RESTRUCTURED.
Or it seems so...
Because, friends, when you go to this page, at the AFLD website, you'll see the address for the:
Département des analyses
143, avenue Roger salengro
92290 Châtenay-Malabry (FR)
Floyd may not be pure, may not be innocent, and the sad thing is that WE do not, and never will know.
I've written about the perceived incompetence of LNDD in more than a dozen preceding blog-posts, some of which you could read through these links:
17 May 2007
FLOYDING FRENZY - Day 3 FLASH
Offering the FLASH that the ITF (Tennis Federation) had pulled its testing needs from the French Laboratory at Châtenay-Malabry...
02 May 2007
Que faire avec LNDD? // WADA do about LNDD???
Which, in French, discussed the situation concerning the lack of 'free press' coverage of the seemingly endless litany of errors at the LNDD...
or
24 April 2007
WADA do about L'EQUIPE?? BOYCOTT!!!
This article has a long list of prior links concerning Floyd, WADA and sports-doping problems; it also addresses the fact that the Equipe French sporting newspaper is owned by the Amaury Sport Group, owners of the Tour de France race-event-management firm...
Thank you for reading... I don't think we have yet seen this covered anywhere, but I hate to repeat that this may be...
A WORLD exclusive ZENmud report.
COURAGE ... to ethical Sports fans around the world!
ç*””*”*”*ç*””* ZENmud *””*ç*”*”*””*ç
No comments:
Post a Comment