Great Britain’s Jason Kenny and the German team sprint squad appear to have earned themselves world titles overnight with the news that the UCI has stripped French sprinter Grégory Baugé of the gold medals he secured during last March’s world track championships.
The UCI informed the French cycling federation (FFC) that it had taken the decision following an anti-doping violation by Baugé.
Specifically, the sprinter had what the UCI refers to as two breaches of applicable requirements regarding rider availability and one missed test in 18 months, constituting a violation of article 21.4 of the UCI’s anti-doping regulations.
Under the whereabouts system, three violations over an eighteen month period will be penalised.
Today’s communication from the UCI reveals that on November 8th the FFC decided to impose a one-year backdated suspension on the rider, running from December 23rd 2010 to December 22nd 2011.
The governing body today told the FFC that it had struck off ‘all the results obtained by the rider and by any team of which he was a member during that period’, under articles 12.1.032.1 and 12.1.035 of its regulations.
“The UCI is therefore obliged to correct the results of the events in which Grégory Baugé participated during this period. As a consequence, the rider and the French team lose their individual sprint and team sprint titles won at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in March 2011,” it explained.
On March 24th Baugé defeated Kenny 2-0 in the final of the world sprint championships, netting his third consecutive title. Kenny had beaten Chris Hoy 2-0 in the semi finals to reach the final, with the latter then beating Frenchman Mickael Bourgain 2-1 to take bronze.
Kenny, Hoy and Bourgain stand to be elevated a slot, forming the new podium.
However while Bourgain gains a bronze medal, other French riders lose gold in the team sprint. Michaël D'Almeida and Kévin Sireau earned rainbow jerseys when they combined with Baugé to defeat the German trio of Rene Enders, Maximilian Levy and Stefan Nimke in the final on March 23rd.
With the Frenchmen being disqualified due to Baugé’s actions, the Germans now move up into the gold medal position, while Great Britain’s Kenny, Hoy and Matthew Crampton slot into second. Australia’s Daniel Ellis, Matthew Glaetzer and Jason Niblett are promoted to bronze.
While Baugé lost two world titles plus the other results he clocked up during that timeframe, the backdated suspension means that he has a ‘softer’ penalty than is often the case in anti-doping violations. He competed during part of the backdated period, meaning that it will be easier for him to return to strong form than if he had been unable to race for a whole year.
He stated last year that the London Olympics is a big target for him. With the suspension period now over, he is eligible to compete from this point on.