President of French fencing federation stands by Flessel, Attelly

[Craig]

Associated Press
Nov. 4, 2002 12:17 p.m.

PARIS (AP) — Pierre Abric, president of the French fencing association (FIE), said Monday he supported Laura Flessel in her appeal against an international fencing federation verdict regarding doping allegations.
Abric also said he considered the case against Loic Attelly - another top French fencer who recently tested positive for doping - a closed matter.

The FIE suspended Flessel, a former Olympic champion, for three months after she tested positive for the banned substance coramine glucose last August. But Flessel claims she was the victim of a blunder by medical staff, and will appeal to an international arbitration court.

Loic Attelly, who won silver in the foil at last year's world championships, tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in June, though the laboratories that performed the analysis are not accredited by the International Olympic Committee.

A second test last week confirmed that Attelly's urine contained more than double the legal amount of nandrolone. But according to FIE rules, this second sample is also considered invalid.

"Attelly took certain products considered to be non-doping, and they have been sent to a laboratory in Cologne to see if they contain traces of nandrolone," Pierre Abric said Monday.

FIE President Rene Roch said that Attelly could not be selected for the French national team until the results of further independent testing, including the analysis from Cologne, proved his innocence.