Pretty strong words by Nicole, I hope action is taken to fix this train of thought.
Nicole Cooke says British Cycling is run 'by men for men'
Nicole Cooke won the Olympic road race in Beijing in 2008
Former Olympic champion Nicole Cooke says British Cycling is run "by men for men" and its attempts to stop doping are "inadequate and ineffective".
Cooke, 33, made the claims in written evidence submitted to a Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday.
The session was held to discuss issues raised at a hearing involving British Cycling and Team Sky in December.
Cooke said British Cycling shows "discrimination and favouritism" because it is "answerable to itself".
The Welsh former world and Commonwealth champion added the fight against doping is "the wrong people fighting the wrong war, in the wrong way, with the wrong tools".
British Cycling is the subject of an investigation by UK Anti-Doping into allegations of wrongdoing in the sport.
The national federation is also awaiting the findings of an independent review into an alleged bullying culture.
Story so far
That independent review - led by British Rowing chairwoman Annamarie Phelps - began after former British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton was accused of using offensive and discriminatory language towards cyclist Jess Varnish.
The Australian was suspended, he then resigned in April and was found guilty of using sexist language in October, but cleared of eight of the nine charges against him.
Sutton, 59, denies any wrongdoing and said in November that he would appeal the ruling.
A second inquiry by Ukad was launched following a Daily Mail allegation that a medical package was delivered to Sir Bradley Wiggins on the final day of the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine.
Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford told MPs in December that the package contained legal decongestant Fluimucil, but MP Damian Collins, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, says British Cycling have been unable to provide paperwork to prove the contents of a medical package.
That came after hacking group Fancy Bears released athletes' medical files stolen from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in September, including details of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) granted to Wiggins.
The five-time Olympic champion was granted a TUE to take anti-inflammatory drug triamcinolone before the 2011 Tour de France, his 2012 Tour win and the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
His TUEs were approved by British authorities and cycling's world governing body the UCI, and there is no suggestion either the 36-year-old or his former employers Team Sky have broken any rules.
Cooke on the package delivered to Wiggins
Cooke raised concerns as to why Simon Cope, who was British Cycling women's coach at the time and paid in public money, was chosen to courier the package to Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman in France.
Cope said he did not know what was in the package he took to La Toussuire on the day Wiggins won the 2011 Dauphine.
"I do find it very surprising that Simon Cope transported something internationally without knowing what was in it," Cooke told MPs.
"I find it surprising the fact that when British Cycling were asked for the records they weren't able to find the documentation."
In her written evidence, Cooke stated that Cope was doing what he was told to do after Sutton approved the trip and that "nobody in the organisation [British Cycling] anywhere would have asked the question - hasn't Cope got another job to do?"
She also alleges in the evidence that Cope, a former team-mate of Wiggins at the Linda McCartney professional team, "spent some weeks riding a moped in front of [Wiggins] as part of a training regimen" as an example of how resources were "stripped out of the women's program to augment the men's program."
Nicole Cooke says British Cycling is run 'by men for men'
- 35 minutes ago
- From the sectionCycling
Nicole Cooke won the Olympic road race in Beijing in 2008
Former Olympic champion Nicole Cooke says British Cycling is run "by men for men" and its attempts to stop doping are "inadequate and ineffective".
Cooke, 33, made the claims in written evidence submitted to a Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday.
The session was held to discuss issues raised at a hearing involving British Cycling and Team Sky in December.
Cooke said British Cycling shows "discrimination and favouritism" because it is "answerable to itself".
The Welsh former world and Commonwealth champion added the fight against doping is "the wrong people fighting the wrong war, in the wrong way, with the wrong tools".
British Cycling is the subject of an investigation by UK Anti-Doping into allegations of wrongdoing in the sport.
The national federation is also awaiting the findings of an independent review into an alleged bullying culture.
Story so far
That independent review - led by British Rowing chairwoman Annamarie Phelps - began after former British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton was accused of using offensive and discriminatory language towards cyclist Jess Varnish.
The Australian was suspended, he then resigned in April and was found guilty of using sexist language in October, but cleared of eight of the nine charges against him.
Sutton, 59, denies any wrongdoing and said in November that he would appeal the ruling.
A second inquiry by Ukad was launched following a Daily Mail allegation that a medical package was delivered to Sir Bradley Wiggins on the final day of the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine.
Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford told MPs in December that the package contained legal decongestant Fluimucil, but MP Damian Collins, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, says British Cycling have been unable to provide paperwork to prove the contents of a medical package.
That came after hacking group Fancy Bears released athletes' medical files stolen from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in September, including details of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) granted to Wiggins.
The five-time Olympic champion was granted a TUE to take anti-inflammatory drug triamcinolone before the 2011 Tour de France, his 2012 Tour win and the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
His TUEs were approved by British authorities and cycling's world governing body the UCI, and there is no suggestion either the 36-year-old or his former employers Team Sky have broken any rules.
Cooke on the package delivered to Wiggins
Cooke raised concerns as to why Simon Cope, who was British Cycling women's coach at the time and paid in public money, was chosen to courier the package to Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman in France.
Cope said he did not know what was in the package he took to La Toussuire on the day Wiggins won the 2011 Dauphine.
"I do find it very surprising that Simon Cope transported something internationally without knowing what was in it," Cooke told MPs.
"I find it surprising the fact that when British Cycling were asked for the records they weren't able to find the documentation."
In her written evidence, Cooke stated that Cope was doing what he was told to do after Sutton approved the trip and that "nobody in the organisation [British Cycling] anywhere would have asked the question - hasn't Cope got another job to do?"
She also alleges in the evidence that Cope, a former team-mate of Wiggins at the Linda McCartney professional team, "spent some weeks riding a moped in front of [Wiggins] as part of a training regimen" as an example of how resources were "stripped out of the women's program to augment the men's program."
