Cycling News Flash for November 18, 2003

Edited by Jeff Jones

Jeanson defends herself

At a press conference in Montreal on Monday, Canadian cyclist Geneviève Jeanson defended herself against accusations that she took performance enhancing drugs. "I've never touched EPO in my life," Jeanson said. "I've never seen it, I've never been given any and I've never taken any. Never."

Jeanson called the press conference in the wake of the Dr. Maurice Duquette affair, the Quebecois doctor who last week pleaded guilty to a number of charges brought against him by the Collège des médecins du Québec (Quebec College of Physicians), many of them dealing with the improper administration of EPO. Dr. Duquette admitted - then denied - giving EPO to an "international level Quebec cyclist and coach" who are now known to be Geneviève Jeanson and her coach André Aubut. The publication ban forbidding naming the cyclist was lifted at the request of Jeanson herself, on the condition that she keep the confidentiality of her medical files.

Jeanson was named in Dr. Duquette's files as follows: having "neglected to write into the medical file of Ms. Geneviève Jeanson...medications that were administered to her, notably Marcaine [a local anaesthetic] and Eprex [Ed: EPO] that had been re-administered as a diagnostic test, in contravention of the Règlement sur la tenue des dossiers d'un médecin (regulation on keeping medical files)."

The day after the plea, Dr. Duquette sent a letter to Jeanson’s lawyer where he wrote that he had, "never prescribed or given Eprex to Geneviève Jeanson...I pleaded guilty for injecting Marcaine along one tendon during one exercise routine and then omitting to write this in her file at the office."

Jeanson has strongly denied ever receiving or using EPO either from Dr. Duquette or any other source, and has been frustrated that she has so far not been allowed to explain her situation to anyone. Jeanson's lawyer Alain Barrette said that his client had tried in vain for nearly a year to tell her version of the story to the Comité de discipline du Collège des médecins (Disciplinary Committee of the Quebec College of Physicians), but her Motion for Intervention was rejected by the Committee.

Dr. Duquette's guilty plea means that Jeanson still cannot explain herself to the Collège des médecins tribunal, and she wants to appear before sports governing bodies, especially the Canadian Cycling Association, to clear up the situation.

"It's been months since I've wanted to talk about this," she said. "Because I was not able to with the Collège des médecins, I want to have the chance with the sports governing bodies."

Previous News    Next News

(All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2003)