Domínguez loses RFEA post as doping scandal unravels further

As the sun rose on another dark day for Spanish sports on Friday, the fallout from Operation Greyhound settled heavily on the Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA). Thursday's lightning raids netted 14 people suspected of operating a doping ring similar to that of Operation Puerto, smashed by the Civil Guard in 2006. Greyhound was started by a Madrid court, which months ago ordered wiretaps, surveillance and tracking.

The highest profile casualty in this latest body blow to the international image of Spanish sport, Marta Domínguez, the most decorated athlete in Spanish track and field history, was released on bail late Thursday on suspicion of supplying performance-enhancing substances to athletes.

According to sources close to the investigation, banned substances were discovered in Domínguez's apartment in sufficient quantity to substantiate the charge of possession with intent to supply. It was also believed that Olympic silver medalist race walker Paquillo Fernández had provided the Civil Guard with information, something the athlete, banned last year for possessing blood boosters, vehemently denied.

"I deny any type of collaboration," Fernández stated. "I have not said anything about Marta or her team, nor about anybody else. People have said that I cooperated by reporting Marta and this is untrue."

The RFEA on Friday stripped Domínguez of her office of vice president of the federation: "Due to the events that took place [on Thursday] in relation to a suspected doping investigation that you have been implicated in, and considering you came out of the Civil Guard headquarters in Palencia on bail in connection withthe trafficking and distribution of doping agents, it damages the image of Spanish athletics," RFEA president José María Odriozola stated in a letter to the athlete. "In view of this I have decided to provisionally suspend you."

Among others detained during the operation were Domínguez's manager, José Alonso Valero and her coach, César Pérez. Civil Guard officers found anabolic steroids and the blood booster EPO in Pérez's apartment.

The alleged mastermind behind Operation Puerto, Eufemiano Fuentes, was also arrested along with his erstwhile partner in the Puerto scam, Alberto Léon. The Civil Guard turned up bags of blood in Léon's apartment in El Escorial containing self-transfusions from various athletes trained by Manuel Pascua Piqueras, wiretaps revealed.

Piqueras, one of Spain's most successful coaches, was detained along with his wife, María José Martínez Guerrero, also a coach. Piqueras was due to travel with the Spanish cross-country team for the European Championships in Portugal this weekend, as was Alemayehu Bezabeh, the reigning champion. Ethiopian-born Bezabeh was withdrawn from the team after admitting to taking banned substances on Friday. Bezabeh voluntarily presented himself at the headquarters of the RFEA and there laid out "his version of events," the RFEA said in a statement.

"The Federation has taken the decision, with common agreement with the athlete, to remove him from the Spanish team that will compete on Sunday in the European cross country championships, where he was the favorite to win. The motive behind this decision was to prevent his participation in the competition, as according to his statement he may be involved in a suspected case of doping."

The Civil Guard also questioned as witnesses over their relationship with Piqueras top Spanish athletes Nuria Fernández, European 1,500m champion, Reyes Estévez, a World Championship bronze medalist in the same event, 800m runner Eugenio Barrios and sprinter Digna Luz Murillo.

None of the four were arrested and no charges were made against them, although investigations will continue to determine whether any of the athletes might have used banned substances.

According to the police investigation, the principal suppliers of the substances uncovered at 15 addresses raided by Operation Greyhound officers are pharmacists M. L. S. and M. C., who operated out of a pharmacy in Madrid, P. M. R., an intermediary in the sale and purchase of drugs and M. B., who runs a gymnasium in Alicante. José Luis Pascua, Manuel Pascua Piqueras' brother, a cycling coach, was arrested in Segovia but released without charge.