Yannick Noah, the 1981 French Open tennis champion, believes that the anabolic steroids and doping problem in sports is even worse than he previously imagined. Noah thanks the Lance Armstrong doping scandal for opening his eyes to the pervasiveness of steroid use in sports. Noah spoke to The Australian newspaper about the Lance Armstrong scandal as well as discussing Spanish athletes and the future of sport.
“Look what happened in cycling with Lance Armstrong,” said Noah. “It took . . . 10 years to find something that everyone already knew long ago. This is very sad.”
Noah criticized Spanish athletes last year for the greater “permissiveness” of doping in their culture. He was widely criticized by several people, including many Spanish athletes, for unfairly singling out one country for a doping culture that was present across sports and across countries (including France).
Noah refused to apologize for pointing the finger at Spain. Now he admits that the problem might be more widespread that he initially feared.
Unfortunately, the Armstrong doping scandal also implicated a popular Spanish sports medicine doctor named Luis Garcia del Moral. Garcia del Moral allegedly helped dope Armstrong with the anabolic steroids testosterone, erythropoietin (EPO) and other performance-enhancing drugs during five of Armstrong’s seven Tour de France victories.
Many people has suggested that “guilt by association” be applied to other athletes that work with Garcia del Moral or are linked to a Valencian tennis school that he is affiliated with.
Garcia del Val is affiliated with the TennisVal academy in Valencia where several top-ranked male and female tennis players train.
French Open finalist Sara Errani recently ended her working relationship with Garcia del Moral after the doping allegations against him became a distraction for her tennis career.
The TennisVal academy is also linked to Dinara Safina, David Ferrer and Igor Andreev.
Source:
Walsh, C. (October 16, 2012). Tennis doping ‘wide-ranging’, says Yannick Noah. Retrieved from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/tennis/tennis-doping-wide-ranging-says-yannick-noah/story-fnbe6xeb-1226496578768
Related Posts :
- Rafael Nadal's Illness and Injuries Lead to Speculation of Steroid Use
- TenisVal Academy Ends Relationship with Doctor Linked to Lance Armstrong Doping Scandal
- Tennis Stars Cave in to Hysteria and Jump on Steroid Testing Bandwagon
- Tennis Star Andy Murray Says Steroids Not as Big a Problem in Tennis as Other Sports
