Interview Doping acquittal: XCO racer Flückiger: "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to prove it."

BIKE: Mathias, how glad you are that you now have it in black and white: Acquittal!

MATHIAS FLÜCKIGER: I'm sure you can imagine. The last two years have been the hardest of my career. Now I finally want to pick up where I left off in 2022. Concentrate on my career without this spectre in my head.

How did you find out about the acquittal?

It wasn't a moment or an unexpected phone call. It developed gradually. I had known for some time that procedural errors had been made and that we could prove my innocence. It was more a matter of time before we got official confirmation. (Editor's note: By "we" Mathias means the team that proved his innocence).

Self-proclaimed experts judge you and talk rubbish. I'm telling you, it does something to you. No matter how sure you are of your innocence. - Mathias Flückiger

Let's rewind: 18 August, 2022: European Championships in Munich. You are informed that zeranol was found in the urine sample from 5 June 2022.

It was the day before the race. It was after training. I was sitting in the Swiss Cycling team bus, chatting to a few people from the organisation that I don't usually see. Suddenly, a group of men came into the back of the bus, including the CEO of Swiss Cycling. His expression was strangely serious, even sombre. I thought they were going to have a meeting and I was going to disturb them. So I jumped up and wanted to make way, but they asked me to stay. At the same time, the bus door was closed. I wondered what was going on now.

>> Here you can find more background information on the Flückiger case.

It sounds like a scene from a thriller.

It was the harsh reality. The manager told me that I had tested positive for anabolic steroids. I will never forget that moment.

And then?

I was paralysed. My world, my values, everything I had built up was destroyed in that moment. They took me back to Switzerland by bus. I couldn't even get my luggage out of my room. Others did that for me.

Why is that?

They probably wanted to avoid me bumping into anyone. I shut myself off completely for the next few weeks. Mentally, it was hard. I knew I hadn't done anything wrong, but I was afraid I'd never be able to prove it.

There was no positive A sample, as was falsely claimed. Only 0.3 nanograms of ceranol per millilitre were measured in the A sample, a value close to the detection limit and far below the WADA limit of 5 nanograms per millilitre. This is referred to as an "atypical finding".

What was the reaction from your professional colleagues?

I think it was a shock for everyone. I can't tell you about any negative experiences, if that's what you want to know. Of course, I don't know what was being whispered behind my back. But you have to realise that the first doubts about the rehearsal arose just a few days after the headline.

How did you experience the headlines in the media?

The problem was that Swiss Cycling communicated false information to the media. So it was very frustrating to be condemned on the basis of a "positive sample" that didn't actually exist. Headlines were formulated and the case was described in a simplified way in a few paragraphs. But the case is complex, too complex for the length of text in most tabloid media. It was hard to read. Self-proclaimed experts condemn you and talk rubbish. I'm telling you, it does something to you. No matter how sure you are of your innocence.

When it comes to doping, there is always a certain amount of athlete guilt in the public eye. Perhaps also because of the prominent cases of athletes who denied it for ages until they were convicted and admitted it. Cue Zabel, Ulrich or the Christoph Daum cocaine affair.

True, that may certainly be one reason for the way the issue is handled. Then provocative headlines are formulated and taken at face value. Many people don't even read the article and yet people still go around saying: "Did you hear about Flückiger?" If I'm honest, I thought the same thing until that day in summer 2022. If I read a headline like that now, I would question the accusation at least as much as the athlete.

What do you mean?

The Swiss anti-doping authority Swiss Sport Integrity (SSI) has made many mistakes. Not just individuals, but sloppy work throughout. And just as the athletes you mentioned didn't want to admit it for a long time, they can't admit that they made mistakes now either. That annoys me.

Would you like an apology?

If you admit that you have made mistakes, the conclusion is an apology, right? But no, it's not about apologising, it's about insight and the will to change something so that it doesn't happen again in the future.

The fact that Swiss Sport Integrity (SSI) interpreted Flückiger's urine sample from 5 June 2022 as positive resulted in a provisional ban and Flückiger was labelled a possible doper. Flückiger criticised SSI for making mistakes on several levels throughout the entire process. "SSI disregarded clear WADA guidelines in the case of an atypical finding. That is absolutely untenable," says Flückiger.

Where do you think the work was sloppy?

This began with the sampling locations and procedures. These did not meet the requirements and guidelines in many respects. It then continued with the transport and storage of the sample. The A sample was stored in a private refrigerator for hours before being analysed in the laboratory. In addition, the manner of communication was simply wrong. SSI should never have spoken of a "positive sample". And that would have prevented it from going public.

How do you explain this chain of errors?

I think those responsible didn't want to see the mistakes in their work because they were too fixated on having found someone. Like a policeman who has never taken anyone off the streets and now wants to change that. Just to fulfil his function and justify his existence. Do you understand?

I understand, but still a harsh indictment.

I have no other explanation for this. I think there are some structural errors in the fight against doping; nothing is wrong. But if proven guidelines are not applied due to negligence, the best structures are of no use. The SSI ruled out contamination. So the only thing left was deliberate ingestion.

How can you simply rule something like this out?

The independent laboratory in Lausanne had even written that it was probably a case of contamination. However, SSI ignored this information.

How did the zeranol get into your urine?

There are three realistic possibilities: contamination via meat from Brazil, toxins from moulds when ingesting grain or massive errors during sampling, transport and subsequent storage.

Professional athletes avoid meat from South America for precisely this reason, as zeranol is often used in animal husbandry here. It ensures growth and weight gain in farm animals.

That's right, I don't eat much meat and if I do, then only selected meat. For example, dried meat from a butcher's shop in Livigno. You can imagine that we investigated every little suspicion. So someone from my team was there too. After explaining to the owner what it was all about, he came clean and admitted that the dried meat came from Brazil, even though it was labelled differently.

Knowingly doping is the ultimate offence. As an athlete, I can't imagine how you can do something like that. - Mathias Flückiger

So do you think that zeranol got into your urine through the dried meat?

It is pointless to discuss which scenario is the most realistic. Because we don't know. And there are no scientific studies on the substance zeranol. The fact is, there was an accumulation of these incidents in the summer of 2022.

Who noticed this accumulation?

In the laboratory in Lausanne alone there were 63 cases of zeranol abnormalities, 62 cases were dropped due to the small quantity. Only mine was not. SSI was persistent here, not the laboratory, which advised against further investigations.

Jolanda Neff agreed with you that the fight against doping must be done properly. Did that make you happy?

Of course, and I would like to see more people speaking out about this. Because it affects all athletes in Switzerland - in all sports. I get the feeling that the others think it's good that it didn't happen to me. But so far, almost nobody wants to get involved or even speak out.

As an athlete, how can you prevent this from happening?

You have to be very disciplined. If you're ill, you can't just get something from the pharmacy. Food supplements from abroad are taboo. Meat whose origin is not clear is also taboo. And you can't be unlucky, because I didn't make any of the mistakes mentioned.

Have you lost sponsors in that time?

My partners were loyal, which makes me happy. But lucrative sponsorship contracts that had just been signed have been cancelled. My salary was suspended for several months. And it wasn't paid in arrears. At the same time, I kept getting mail from my lawyer with invoices for tens of thousands of francs.

What goes through your mind when you read about doping allegations?

Phew, I definitely read things like that more carefully. I ask myself, do so many athletes really do this or are they victims of such chains of error? The fact is: knowingly doping is the last thing on earth. As an athlete, I can't imagine how you can do something like that. That's why I also believe that there are fewer cases of deliberate doping than we think. In short, when I read something like this today, I assume it's a good thing. As long as there is professional sport, there will always be doping. Probably. But you have to have a certain mindset to do it. Because if you stand on the podium doped, it can't be satisfying.

About the person

The Swiss cross-country racer starts his professional career with a bang. In the same year, he becomes U23 World Champion, Swiss Champion (U23) and European Champion (U23). Flückiger has been riding for the Thömus maxon team since 2018. His greatest successes include Olympic silver, several World Championship medals and World Cup victories, the Swiss Champion title in the elite class and overall World Cup victory in 2021.