Allegations of doping have followed the Tour de France since its inception in 1903. In its early days, riders were more likely to drink or take pain-controlling drugs as a way to work through their constant discomfort. As time went on, though, these doping practices began to lean more toward enhancing their performance than simply relieving pain. Most of this practice was largely ignored until the now infamous year of 1998.
During this race everything changed. The Festina Tour de France Scandal is the most scandalous of all scandals, responsible for bringing down the reputation of the race single handedly. Because of the Festina Tour de France Scandal, the 1998 Tour de France has and always will be called by its nickname, “The Tour of Shame.”
On July 8, 1998, French Customs Officers arrested the Festina team’s star rider, Willy Voet. He was at that time found to be in possession of several drugs including performance enhancing drugs as well as growth hormones and amphetamines. This arrest began the downward spiral that was soon to become the Festina Tour de France Scandal.
After finding the drugs, the French police began to raid several teams in the hotels including the rest of the Festina team. This team and the TMV team both were found to have drugs in their possession. Other racing teams balked at the idea of the police randomly raiding teams with no history of doping and staged a sit-out, refusing to finish the race.
Since this would bode poorly on the now tarnished reputation of this race, the Director of the Tour stepped in and convinced the police to suspend any further raids. For most teams though, this action came too late. Many participants had packed up and gone home with only about 100 races actually making it to the finish line. To make matters worse, these riders road at a leisurely pace effectively removing any of the competition that is critical to the excitement of the race.
As the investigation into the Festina team continued on, several more arrests were made, among them the team’s doctor. The investigation ultimately led to the expulsion of the entire Festina team. The Festina Tour de France Scandal effectively removed the favored team from the race.
In the following years, the Festina Tour de France Scandal has resulted in some changes that continue within the race to this day. Riders are now tested on a regular basis for any illegal substances. In addition, an independent organization called the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed to keep a more objective eye on the situation. This, however, has not always been enough.
Just a few short years later, the third-place finisher of the 2002 race was arrested on charges of illegal doping. In 2004, several members of the Cofidis team admitted to using performance enhancers and said this is more common than previously thought. Some team members even went as far as to say they were coerced into taking the illegal substances. Doping allegations have even followed seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong throughout his career although they have never been proven and most think of it as merely a witch-hunt.
Although the Tour de France has carried on, the Festina Tour de France Scandal was and always will be a black eye on the reputation of the race. It is possible, though, that some good has come out of it since the Festina Tour de France scandal set into motion rules and regulations that work towards the good of all racers, keeping things on an even playing field.
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