German TV rejects call to boycott races

Some German politicians have recommended that the national television channels boycott cycling until it gets cleaned up, but the two senders, ARD and ZDF have said that they want to continue showing the sport.

Peter Danckert, head of the German parliament's sport committee, called for the publicly-supported stations to stop showing races. "I recommend a temporary boycott, until things have been cleared up," he said, according to the press agency dpa. "It shouldn't be so that millions of people pay fees [for the TV stations] which go to support a sport that is not doping-free."

"At this point we do not see any reason for a boycott – that would just ignore the problem," said ZDF spokesman Alexander Stock. He added though, "We will keep an eye on things. If it is proved that current riders are involved, then the ZDF will have to think about what to do."

The ARD, which was a co-sponsor of Team Telekom from 1998 to 2004, and had an exclusive contract with Jan Ullrich, noted that "Never before was there a better chance than now to reform cycling.