British Cycling chiefs to face MPs over TUEs

Wiggins was cheered by the fans at the London Six Day meeting this week

British Cycling chiefs will face questions from MPs over the use and policing of therapeutic use exemptions, The Times newspaper reports.

TUEs, which allow athletes to take prohibited drugs on medical grounds, have been brought into the spotlight by the Fancy Bears hackers.

Sir Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Laura Trott were among the British cyclists to have their TUE data leaked.

Wiggins says his TUEs were to combat hay fever.

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The 36-year-old took powerful anti-inflammatory drug triamcinolone before his 2012 Tour de France victory, as well as the 2011 Tour de France and the 2013 Giro d'Italia.

Wiggins went on to win time trial gold at London 2012 after his historic Tour de France win earlier in the year

All of the British athletes whose use of TUEs was revealed have denied they were seeking any sporting advantage, insisting they were issued for genuine medical needs.

Wiggins told the BBC's Andrew Marr in an interview in September that he sought TUEs to "put himself back on a level playing field".

However, Froome, who was Wiggins' team-mate at Team Sky, and former Team Sky doctor Prentice Steffen have questioned whether Wiggins' treatment was appropriate for pollen-induced hay-fever.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by either British Cycling or Team Sky, who Wiggins rode for before 2015.

"As part of the inquiry into doping, the select committee wants to look at the ethics of the use of TUEs and the way this is policed by British Cycling," culture, media and sport select committee chairman Damian Collins told The Times.

"We can ask British Cycling about any incidents in the past where we believe it is important how the governing body oversees their sport."

The committee could also question British Cycling officials over allegations that one of its staff delivered a medical package to Team Sky in France on the day Wiggins won the Criterium du Dauphine in La Toussuire.

The claims, made by the Daily Mail newspaper, are being investigated by the UK Anti-Doping Agency.

A British Cycling spokesman said: "We welcome any opportunity to support anti-doping efforts."