Hamilton keeps gold, may face ban
Olympic champion Tyler Hamilton will keep his gold medal because of a laboratory error, but the Marblehead cyclist still may face a two-year ban for blood doping after another positive test this month.
Hamilton's original sample, taken after he won the road time trial last month in Greece, turned up positive for a banned transfusion. But because the Athens lab inadvertently destroyed his backup B sample by deep-freezing it, the International Olympic Committee said yesterday that it was dropping the case against Hamilton.
"It was a case of human error . . . an unfortunate accident," said IOC medical commission chairman Arne Ljungqvist.
Since both samples taken during this month's Spanish Vuelta came up positive for a transfusion, Hamilton could be kept out of competition until the autumn of 2006 by the International Cycling Union (UCI), essentially ending his career as a top racer. The UCI, which has been cracking down on blood doping this year after recent scandals, did not say what action it would take. But two-year suspensions are standard under doping rules.
"I am sure that the gold medal that I worked so hard for will stay in my hands," Hamilton had said before the IOC made its announcement. "I guarantee that I represented the United States of America as an honest, clean, and proud athlete."
Hamilton, who insisted that he'd had no transfusions, was the first athlete to test positive under a new procedure that uses a flow cytometer to detect mixed red cells, which indicate the presence of another person's blood.
The test, devised by Australian scientists, was used for the first time at the Athens Games as a means of catching athletes in endurance sports who artificially boost oxygen-transporting red cells to increase stamina.
"The fact that the analysis of the B sample was not conclusive does not challenge the accuracy of the analysis of the A sample," the IOC said yesterday.
After Hamilton's A sample was deemed "highly suspicious," the IOC turned it over to an expert panel of scientists from three countries for confirmation. On Sept. 16, the panel concluded that the sample was "clearly positive."
"It's not always black and white," said Ljungqvist, "but this A sample was clearly black."
Had the B sample also been positive, which is almost always the case, Hamilton likely would have been stripped of his gold medal. But because the sample had been frozen instead of refrigerated, the IOC said, there were not enough intact red blood cells remaining for a valid test this week. "It can't stand up for analysis," said Ljungqvist. "It's human error. These things happen."
Under global doping codes, both samples must be positive to justify rescinding medals and handing down suspensions.
"The rules are clear," said Ljungqvist. "Legally, such a case will be deemed negative."
When asked during a teleconference whether Hamilton was lucky to escape sanctions, Ljungqvist said, "It's up to everyone to draw his own conclusion on that."
On Sept. 11, Hamilton again tested positive after winning a time-trial stage in the Vuelta. Five days later, he withdrew from the race, citing stomach problems. Yesterday, it was announced that Hamilton's B sample also was positive.
Though Phonak, Hamilton's Swiss-based racing team, had expressed doubts about the accuracy of the new procedure, it suspended him on Wednesday pending resolution of both doping cases.
Yesterday, the team said it was putting together a special panel to determine whether the flow cytometer test is accurate. "The team's goal is, and this is in the exact interest of Tyler Hamilton, that we have clarity in the end," Phonak said in a statement on its website. . . .
The Dallas company that owes Lance Armstrong $5 million for winning a record sixth straight Tour de France is withholding payment of the bonus, citing allegations in a French book that he used performance-enhancing drugs.
SCA Promotions Inc. points to doping allegations contained in "L.A. Confidential, the Secrets of Lance Armstrong," published in June by La Martiniere. Armstrong has denounced the book's claims as "absolutely untrue" and launched defamation lawsuits against the publisher and authors. "We've requested [drug] test results to disprove the allegations -- clean test results that should be easily attainable," Chris Compton, an attorney for SCA, said yesterday. Material from Associated Press was used in this report.
