The Spanish Athletics Federation suspended vice president Marta Dominguez following the world steeplechase champion’s suspected involvement in a doping ring.
The RFEA said in a statement on its website that president Jose Maria Odriozola informed Dominguez of the decision early yesterday, a day after Dominguez was reportedly among 14 people detained by the Spanish Civil Guard as part of the Operation Galgo anti-doping investigation.
Sports doctors, pharmacists, trainers, coaches, representatives and athletes were detained in raids across the country for crimes against public health. Several people involved in 2006’s Operation Puerto – including sports doctor Eufemiano Fuentes – were among the suspects.
“Due to the events that took place yesterday in relation to a suspected doping investigation that you have been implicated in, and considering you came out of Civil Guard headquarters in Palencia on bail for charges of trafficking and distribution of doping agents, it damages the image of Spanish athletics,” Odriozola wrote in the letter to Dominguez, “So I’ve decided to provisionally suspend you.
“I’m confident that these charges will be cleared up shortly and we will know the extent of your involvement in this investigation as soon as possible.”
The 35-year-old Dominguez, the 5,000 meters champion at the 2002 and 2006 European championships who is currently pregnant, is one of the most decorated athletes in Spain.
The Civil Guard raided her Palencia home on Thursday, emerging with a laptop, a briefcase and a box. On the Civil Guard’s official report, the initials M.D. are listed as “an athlete and supplier of doping substances.” Those initials are the only ones listed concerning raids in Palencia.
Anabolic steroids, hormones, bags of blood, documents relating to doping and other material used for blood transfusions were among the material seized in raids on 15 different residences, according to the Civil Guard.
Dominguez’s trainer, Cesar Perez, and 2002 European 5,000-metre champion Alberto Garcia were among those reportedly detained along with several figures from Operation Puerto, a blood-doping investigation in 2006.
The Civil Guard started its involvement in April after becoming aware of a group of people who appeared to be aiding sports people at the highest level to use drugs.
Fuentes is believed to have helped plan treatments like he was accused of doing in Puerto. His sister Yolanda Fuentes and former mountain bike racer Alberto Leon, who were both implicated in Puerto, reportedly helped him.
Galgo, meaning “greyhound” in Spanish, is the third recent Civil Guard investigation into doping in sports after last year’s Operation Grial.