The French sports minister Jean-Francois Lamour has asked the Spanish authorities to name all the athletes involved in Operacion Puerto before July 1 - the start of the Tour de France. Speaking to Spain's sports minister Jaime Lissavetzky at the final of the French Open last weekend, Lamour was quoted by the Associated Press as saying, "We spoke about it at length. I told him of our concern that the names be known, if possible, before the opening of the Tour de France. He is doing what he can."
Lamour is concerned that the Tour de France be drug free, as the 1998 Festina affair still haunts the sport. He supported ASO's decision to exclude Comunidad Valenciana from the race. "The Tour de France must go ahead in total transparency," he said. "That is to say with people who cannot be suspected of having benefited from these transfusions."
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