LNDD DEAD: END of an ERA???

ZENistas, Landistas, welcome...

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

FLOYDING FRENZY - who is COFRAC???

ZENistas know that the case against Floyd Landis rests on evidence accumulated by the Laboratoire national du dépistage du dopage (LNDD), a public French institution who maintains no evident public website, and which is spoken of in the past tense at the French Ministry for Youth and Sport website.

Wada??? :-)

Now we have heard recently that their LNDD facility has been audited by COFRAC, as this bit (at TrustbutVerify Monday Roundup, from a link to 7Sur7 in Belgium:

The second was performed by COFRAC, a certifying organization which audits the laboratory at Châtenay-Malabry every year to provide its certification.


Go to the website of COFRAC (parlez-vous??), there's a typical search square in the top yellow bar. Type in ° LNDD ° (only the initials).

You'll find three PDF documents: one is entered twice, and they are the "2002 Letter", of general information, such as this gem:

"The recent accreditation of the National Laboratory for Anti-dopage Testing (LNDD, as we know) of Chatenay-Malabry, which performs the testing on the Tour de France, is a good example." (of what COFRAC does, one presumes: translation by ZENmud himself).

Also is a 2001 Annual Report, which included this bombshell:

"With regard to health we should also mention the accreditation of the National Doping Case-finding Laboratory (LNDD) at Châtenay-Malabry for rapid analysis and confirmation of the presence of doping agents. This laboratory, referenced by the International Olympic Committee (CIO), is very active, owing to an increasing number of requests from the world of sport..."

ZENmud is suggesting, faithful readers, that COFRAC has no searchable data on the LNDD, which we have been assured is breathtakingly ahead of the scientific curve, able to develop strong new tests in a single bound! In an hour of time on this website, I find (famous last words?) evidence of 'testing request paperwork' but no archive (same word in FR) in which they publicly post the required data.

But the French don't seem to update their governmental websites: anyone from the French Ministrie du Jeunesse et Sport: please write to the ZENster! s'il vous plaît, RSVP avec les liens souhaités!!

Show us transparency, les gars ("you guys!")!

ç*””*”*”*ç*””* ZENmud *””*ç*”*”*””*ç