PARIS (Reuters) – Servais Knaven remains sporting director of Team Sky despite doping allegations resurfacing against the former Dutch driver, the British outfit said.
“We have taken these allegations very seriously…We have passed the information presented to us to three world-class independent anti-doping experts for their analysis and expert opinion,” Sky said in a statement.
“Their view based on what has been presented to us is that there is no evidence of doping and Servais continues to maintain his innocence.”
Knaven was a member of the TVM team, which went on trial in France in 2001 after vials of EPO were found in a team car in 1998.
The Mail on Sunday, which said it had access to court documents, reported that experts had found Knaven had been doping.
“It is important to remember that no charges have ever been brought against Servais. This dates back over 15 years and has been reviewed many times over that time,” the Team Sky statement added.
“Servais has played an important role in the success of Team Sky over the past five years. He remains a valued member of the team.
Team Sky claims to have a zero-tolerance policy against doping, requiring staff and riders to sign a statement saying they have never doped.
In 2012, Dutchman Steven de Jongh, also a member of the TVM team in 1998, admitted to doping and subsequently left his position as sporting director of Team Sky.
Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly
“Freelance communicator. Hardcore web practitioner. Entrepreneur. Total student. Beer ninja.”
