UCI sets up panel to probe doping

A three-man panel will investigate cycling’s doping past, including allegations the sport’s governing body colluded with Lance Armstrong. President Brian Cookson said the commission will investigate allegations ‘that the UCI has been involved in wrongdoing in the past allegations which have done so much to hurt the credibility of UCI.’ The probe is expected to center on the UCI’s handling of doping in the late 1990s and early 2000s, especially its links with Armstrong. Much could hinge on whether Armstrong and former UCI presidents Hein Verbrugggen and Pat McQuaid agree to testify. UCI and Verbruggen have been accused of protecting Armstrong and helping cover up his doping. The American was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from Olympic sports for life after admitting to doping. The panel will be based in Switzerland and will be called Cycling Independent Reform Commission.