ADVERTISEMENT

David Millar Bradley Wiggins triamcinolone

David Millar said he "can't fathom" how a doctor could prescribe a drug which Bradley Wiggins was permitted to use during competition.

___5495623___https:______static.pulse.com.gh___webservice___escenic___binary___5495623___2016___9___20___18___bradleywiggins-cropped_waktet4p9yub10pw338qiegd1

David Millar "can't fathom" how a doctor could prescribe the drug Bradley Wiggins was permitted to use during competition.

A Russian cyber-espionage group known as 'Fancy Bears' have disclosed confidential medical records of Olympic athletes after hacking a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) database.

Wiggins, who won his fifth Olympic gold medal in Rio last month, was among those to have had details of their therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs), which enable competitors to use medications for legitimate reasons, listed on the Fancy Bears website.

The records on Wiggins released by the group show that he was granted permission to take triamcinolone as a treatment for hayfever prior to the Tour de France in 2011 and 2012 - the latter of which he won - as well as the Giro d'Italia in 2013.

ADVERTISEMENT

There is no suggestion that Wiggins breached any anti-doping regulations, but Millar, a four-time Tour de France stage winner who was banned for two years in 2004 after admitting taking performance-enhancing drugs, has called for triamcinolone to be outlawed.

Miller, now an anti-doping campaigner, told The Telegraph: "You would do all the training but my weight would stick. But if I took Kenacort [a trade name for triamcinolone], 1.5-2kgs would drop off in like a week. And not only would the weight drop off I would feel stronger.

"If you are non-asthmatic and you take Ventolin it's not going to give you any advantage. But if you take Kenacort it's not only going to make a sick person better, it's going to make a sick person better than a healthy person. That's a very grey area.

"I'm sure there are other forms of cortisone that could be used for allergies which aren't so potent or performance-enhancing. We [athletes] shouldn't have to face this. If it's that strong we shouldn't be allowed to take it unless there is a serious issue.

"And if we're suffering from that serious an issue, we shouldn't be racing. I don't know how a doctor could prescribe it [before a race]. I can't fathom it."

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh

ADVERTISEMENT