Archive August 1, 2025

The Ineos Grenadiers employee who left last year worked for Manchester United after being asked to speak with the International Testing Agency (ITA) about allegations of doping during the 2012 campaign.

After being contacted in April, the cycling team confirmed that David Rozman had been asked to interview by the ITA, and that he “stepped down” from Tour duties last month.

One of Ineos’ soigneurs is the Slovenian, who provides a range of services from logistics to massages.

After Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe became co-owner of the club, it has now emerged that Rozman and United’s soft tissue therapists had collaborated on a “knowledge exchange” in 2024.

According to insiders, United claimed to have no knowledge of the recently published historical allegations and that they had no involvement in them.

The team went on to win six of the following seven Tour de Frances under the name Ineos Grenadiers, who was then known as Team Sky. Bradley Wiggins won the race in 2012, taking the title of the winning team.

A member of ITA staff in April 2025 contacted Rozman informally, claiming that it then requested a review by an external law firm, in order to contact him about alleged historical communications.

The team took the allegations seriously while acknowledging that David has a long-standing, dedicated team member, according to a statement released at the time.

The team has formally requested any pertinent information from the ITA and continues to assess the circumstances and any pertinent developments. No relevant authority has provided any evidence to date, so the team has received no evidence.

“Both David and the team will of course work with the ITA and any other authority,” the team said.

According to a report from the Irish Independent in July, Rozman and German doping convicted felon Mark Schmidt exchanged messages in 2012.

Ineos and Schmidt were linked in part to a documentary produced by the German TV company ARD, which did not identify the staff member.

After being found guilty of providing illegal blood transfusions to athletes in cycling and a number of other sports as part of Operation Aderlass, Schmidt was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison in 2021.

The ITA stated in a statement to BBC Sport that its investigations are “conducted confidentially” and that results “may only be shared if and when one or more anti-doping rule violations are discovered.”

Sir Dave Brailsford, Ineos’ director of sport, resigned from his position with Manchester United in June despite having previously played a significant role in the organization’s football operations.

After Ratcliffe bought his stake in United, Brailsford resigned as the Ineos Grenadiers team principal. He has since played a significant role in the cycling team and participated in the Tour de France this year.

The 61-year-old became a force behind the “marginal gains” theory and oversaw a long run of success at British Cycling and Team Sky.

However, there have been a lot of controversy in his career.

Former British Cycling and Team Sky chief medical officer Dr. Richard Freeman was given a four-year suspension from all competitions in August 2023 after breaking anti-doping regulations.

A mystery “jiffy bag” by Freeman that had been ordered to Wiggins before a 2011 race, was allegedly the source of the banned anti-inflammatory drug triamcinolone, and Brailsford made an appearance before a parliamentary committee in 2018 to answer questions about its contents.

Following Wiggins’ revelation that he had received triamcinolone for treating asthma and allergies shortly before three of the three major races, Wiggins was given therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs).

A parliamentary committee ultimately found it impossible to determine what was inside the jiffy bag despite Freeman and Brailsford’s contention that the bag had legal flu medication inside it.

In a final report from 2018, the MPs accused Team Sky of “crossing an ethical line” with its more general use of TUEs.

Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, defeated 22-seed Jelena Ostapenko to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open.

The Latvian defeated the unseeded 27-year-old 6-2, 6-4, and could face third-seeded American Jessica Pegula in the final 16.

On Friday, Japan’s Osaka, who has triumphed twice at the US and Australian Opens, will face Pegula or a second successive Latvian in Anastasija Sevastova.

However, Osaka impressed by winning the first set within 30 minutes before increasing its lead to 3-1 in the third.

When Ostapenko hit a forehand and finished the match at 5-3, she again gave up a 4-2 lead.

However, when Osaka sent a forehand beyond the baseline, her 28-year-old opponent broke back and saved a match point on a forehand crosscourt winner.

However, Ostapenko’s love was rekindled in the final game when the Latvian netted a backhand to bring an end to the match that lasted an hour and a half.