It's a Piti they haven't tested the DNA before now...

According to a report at the Cyclingnews website today (Valverde Offers To Submit DNA Sample | Cyclingnews.com), Alejandro Valverde has offered to provide a sample for DNA testing to establish for once and for all whether the blood in the blood bags (i.e. the bag or bags labelled Valv.(Piti)) is indeed taken from him. It astonishes me that such a test has no been conducted thus far, as it would provide indisputable proof as to whether or not the blood was his.  Now, of course, that is only important if the transfusions service was aimed at supplementing an athlete with his own blood (autologous transfusion).  If the practice was using another athlete's blood (homologous transfusion - use of blood from a donor that has been checked for compatibility*), the bag might contain blood from someone else. While the UCI and WADA are happy to take him up on this, CONI isn't - Cyclingnews reports:

In an effort to "show the irregularities in CONI's procedure," according to a press statement by the rider, Valverde would be willing to supply his DNA if it was tested in an independent lab outside of Italy.

"The UCI as well as WADA agreed to this proposal, only CONI has refuted realising it outside of Italy," the statement continued.

It may be that CONI's objections aren't really to do with national jurisdiction (as implied by the quote above) but are more concerned by a potentially false claim of innocence based upon DNA testing of blood intended for homologous transfusion.

Whatever the situation, the whole issue has run on too long.  All the blood bags should have been DNA profiled long ago.

*Homologous transfusion would give rise to the kind of test results that snared Tyler Hamilton a few years ago.

Powered by ScribeFire.