Ineos Staff Member Leaves Tour Amid Doping Investigation

An Ineos Grenadiers unit personnel has near nan Tour de France aft being asked to speak to nan International Testing Agency astir doping allegations relating to nan 2012 season.

David Rozman is 1 of nan team's soigneurs, a domiciled which involves moving arsenic an adjunct to riders and providing a scope of services from logistics to massages.

Ineos Grenadiers, past known arsenic Team Sky, won nan 2012 Tour de France, pinch Britain's Bradley Wiggins claiming nan yellowish jersey, and nan squad went connected to triumph six of nan adjacent 7 editions of nan race.

Ineos Grenadiers confirmed Rozman has received an question and reply request, external from nan ITA aft initially being contacted successful April.

"Following caller media allegations, David [Rozman] has now received a petition from nan ITA to be an interview," Ineos Grenadiers said.

"Accordingly, he has stepped backmost from title duties and has near nan Tour.

"Rozman was informally contacted successful April 2025 by a personnel of ITA staff, who asked him astir alleged humanities communications.

"Although nan ITA assured David astatine nan clip that he was not nether investigation, Ineos promptly commissioned a thorough reappraisal by an outer rule firm.

"The squad has acted responsibly and pinch owed process, taking nan allegations earnestly whilst acknowledging that David is simply a long-standing, dedicated personnel of nan team.

"The squad continues to measure nan circumstances and immoderate applicable developments, and has formally requested immoderate applicable accusation from nan ITA. To day nan squad has received nary grounds from immoderate applicable authority.

"Both David and nan squad will of people co-operate pinch nan ITA and immoderate different authority."

Earlier successful July, nan Irish Independent reported that successful 2012, Rozman had exchanged messages pinch convicted German doping expert Mark Schmidt.

A documentary by German TV institution ARD besides linked Ineos to Schmidt but did not sanction nan unit personnel involved.

In 2021, Schmidt was sentenced to 4 years and 10 months successful jail aft being convicted of administering forbidden humor transfusions to athletes wrong cycling and a number of different sports arsenic portion of Operation Aderlass.

When contacted by BBC Sport, nan ITA said its investigations are "conducted confidentially" and "outcomes whitethorn only beryllium shared if and erstwhile it yields nan pursuit of 1 aliases much anti-doping norm violations."

BBC Sport has besides contacted Ineos Grenadiers for comment.