Source: Dani Pozo (AFP)
We all knew that Operacion Puerto was no more than a cover-up strategy to avoid further damages in the national sport. As doping was not a crime when the mentioned Operation was carried out, Fuentes and company could only be banned for acting against public health. The highest prison sentence request was a two years one. The final sentence, one year prison condemn and four-years ban to work as a sports doctor He will not go to prison becouse of his lack of criminal record. Ignacion Labarta was also condemned for four months and Yolanda Flores, Vicente Belda and Manolo Saiz were absolved.
But the worst new was not that these cheaters were almost all absolved and condemned with such light sentences. The fact that embarrasses the public opinion, the world of sport and the international athletes is that, according to the judge’s sentence, we will never know whose blood was inside the more than 200 bags discovered under Fuentes charge.
Although the Spanish Antidoping Agence has stated that they will appeal that decision, we should not rely any more on Spanish justice. It is widely known that Spain has been indulgent with doping and cheaters for years. Probably most of the greatest achieves by Spanish athletes were accomplished thanks to performance enhancing drugs and a permissive legislation and a loose control of doping.
Recently, the Spanish government has approved a brand new anti-doping law, mainly because such a permissive country as Spain could hardly request 2020 Olympic Games. So they make that new law for making up such a flagrant lack of responsability against doping.
But now, after 7 years, Spain had the opportunity to show that they really want to fight against cheaters and doping. A wasted opportunity, as we know that more than a hundred athletes used Eufemiano’s prohibited methods to get sport success but we probably never know their name. Press unveiled some years ago whose bags were the codenamed blood samples, but as they discovered ones, they omitted others, probably the names of the greater athletes.
And those ones that were responsible of the greatest doping system never discovered in Spain have been almost absolved. Nor Saiz either Belda have been condemned. Both cheaters and liars that have deeply hurt our sport and never apologised, that treated riders as machines to get success and that changed cycling into a circus of unbelievable performances, have been absolved.
Shame on Spanish sport and authorities. Open bar for dopers and cheaters. Before the new law was approved Spain was the paradise of doping and dopers. Many athletes have stated that (Read the Reasoned Decision by USADA). Doctors as Del Moral, Fuentes, Padilla and many others have acted as scientifics of doping without limit. The Spanish sport grew to become the greatest power and we already know why. Doping has never have limits. Everything has been cheating and covering up. No justice here. No more reliability on Spanish sport.
Fascinating sport 