MADRID – The Spanish government is examining whether to take legal action against a French TV station that poked fun at the country’s alleged ties to doping, with some of Spain’s most famous athletes coming out in defence of their nation’s achievements on Thursday.
Jose Ignacio Wert, Spain’s most senior sport figure as the minister for Education, Culture and Sport, said Thursday that Canal Plus’ satirical skit saying that Spanish athletes “don’t win by chance” was both “intolerable” and “unsportsmanlike.”
Spain’s tennis federation announced Wednesday it would sue Canal Plus for using its logo in a video that jokingly linked Rafael Nadal to doping, and the country’s cycling federation followed suit. Since then two more skits by Les Guignols (The Puppets) satirical program were released taking aim at recently banned Tour de France champion Alberto Contador, Nadal, Spain’s World Cup-winning football team and its European Championship-winning basketball squad.
“It’s an indiscriminate attack on Spanish sport that is completely false and doesn’t correspond with reality,” Wert said. “Several federations have already undertaken means of protest and the CSD is now studying it.”
Nadal, a six-time French Open champion, has been the butt of Les Guignols’ jokes, appearing in two of the three clips which have emerged since sport’s highest court banned Contador for a positive doping test he blamed on contaminated meat.
The latest video shows Spanish athletes signing a petition in support of Contador but using needles rather than pens, including Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, an unidentified basketball player and, finally, Nadal.
“It’s not against me but against Spain in general,” Nadal said on Thursday. “With less we’ve achieved more than they have, we’re doing something better. It’s not about pills or syringes.”
The videos have drawn much publicity in Spain, with many media outlets countering with reports suggesting France is jealous of the country’s achievements.
Spain is living through a golden generation of success with its national football team both world and European champions, while Nadal has won 10 Grand Slams and helped the Davis Cup team to three titles since 2008.
Bernard Hinault was the last Frenchman to win the Tour in 1985, with Spanish cyclists winning 10 times since. Spanish tennis players have won 11 titles at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah’s victory in 1983, the last for a Frenchman.
“It’s in fashion to discredit champions with this theme of doping,” said Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, a member of Spain’s World Cup winning team. “To shut them up we just have to keep winning.”
Spain has often been accused of protecting its own in the face of doping charges, especially since the 2006 probe Operation Puerto, the biggest investigation into doping in cycling. That case implicated more than 50 cyclists and continues to make waves today, with 1997 Tour champion Jan Ullrich banned for two years Thursday for his involvement.
Contador, who is one of only five cyclists to have won all three of cycling’s premier races, was also implicated in the case.
Wert said Spain was pushing through legislation to make sure Spain’s anti-doping laws live up to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s code as Madrid looks to bid for the 2020 Olympics.
But Spanish Olympic Committee president and Madrid 2020 bid head Alejandro Blanco said changes needed to be made to WADA’s doping code after Contador was banned for testing positive for a minuscule amount of clenbuterol on a 2010 Tour rest day.
“I would support a change in the anti-doping rules. One day they will set a barrier for clenbuterol and then from there down it won’t be considered doping,” Blanco said. “No one can accuse us of not being front and centre in the fight against doping.”
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