French police question Cofidis duo
PARIS, France (Reuters) -- French police were questioning two Cofidis riders on Wednesday and Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour summoned cycling bosses to a special meeting later this week following a new doping scandal.
Police detained Cedric Vasseur, who led the French national team at the last world cycling championships, and Philippe Gaumont at Orly airport outside Paris on Tuesday.
A judicial source said the pair were being quizzed about alleged trafficking of banned substances.
"The two men could be brought before an examining magistrate on Wednesday or Thursday, or released and summoned later to be formally placed under investigation," the source said.
They were detained as part of an investigation which began last summer. Former Cofidis rider Marek Rutkiewicz was arrested last week, when police also raided the team's headquarters.
Investigators say they could yet widen their probe to include cycling professionals not riding for Cofidis.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Lamour said he had summoned the head of the French Cycling Federation, the national cycling technical director and other experts to discuss the sport ahead of the Olympic Games in Athens in August.
"We have to be much more effective at the international level in fighting trafficking (of doping agents)," Lamour said.
"We need to be much more coherent at the European and international level, which is precisely what is at stake in the application of the world anti-doping code and the creation of a world anti-doping agency," he said.
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