Banned cyclist blames 'twin' after dope test

From the article:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Olympic champion claims ignorance of his rare blood condition has cost
him $1m

William Fotheringham
Sunday June 5, 2005
The Observer

The saga of Olympic cycling champion Tyler Hamilton's alleged positive
test for blood doping and subsequent two-year ban has been given a
name worthy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: the case of the vanishing twin.

It is a story now into its ninth month and the news last week that
Hamilton's appeal against the verdict is being considered by the
Tribunal of Arbitration in Sport means the arguments could run until
September.

The hearing is expected to take place in Denver this month, but TAS
has a four-month deadline before it delivers a ruling and thus a final
verdict may come a full year after the American's positive test was
first announced.
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Read it at
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/inter...9538%2C00.html







J. Spaceman

Okay... and this closes the lid for me.

He is grasping at straws (poor guy). This will only hurt is case.

1) 20%-30% of ALL multiple pregnancies end in Vanishing Twin Syndrome.
This isn't a fantasy since using ultrasound the two fetuses can be
actually seen and that one disappears is scientific fact.

2) 1.2% of all births in the USA are twins some smaller percentage of
triplets, quads etc. The occurence of multiple pregnancies is AGE
RELATED and the older the mother is at the time of conception the more
likely that multiple pregnancies will occur.

3) Under the American judicial theories of Innocent Until Proven Guilty
all that Tyler would have to present is a reasonable theory that THERE
COULD BE ANOTHER EXPLANATION to showing positive in the blood test. The
UCI and WADA in fact stated that they simply wouldn't look at any
questioning of the tests.

4) There was no study for false positives in the blood test used by
WADA. In order to assure that the test is most sensitive it has to use
a large number of antigens and the larger this number the more likely a
false positive is to occur. Moreover, this could produce multiple false
positives or not. The test has NO numerical finding but is instead
nothing but the tester's opinion of what is positive and what isn't.

5) The VTS explanation was only one of several examples that Hamilton's
lawyers presented to demonstrate REASONABLE DOUBT.

What is really unfortunate is that reasonable doubt means absolutely
nothing to morons who wish to misrepresent what is really at issue
here.

"Tom Kunich" wrote in message
oups.com...
1) 20%-30% of ALL multiple pregnancies end in Vanishing Twin Syndrome.
This isn't a fantasy since using ultrasound the two fetuses can be
actually seen and that one disappears is scientific fact.

2) 1.2% of all births in the USA are twins some smaller percentage of
triplets, quads etc. The occurence of multiple pregnancies is AGE
RELATED and the older the mother is at the time of conception the more
likely that multiple pregnancies will occur.

3) Under the American judicial theories of Innocent Until Proven Guilty
all that Tyler would have to present is a reasonable theory that THERE
COULD BE ANOTHER EXPLANATION to showing positive in the blood test. The
UCI and WADA in fact stated that they simply wouldn't look at any
questioning of the tests.

4) There was no study for false positives in the blood test used by
WADA. In order to assure that the test is most sensitive it has to use
a large number of antigens and the larger this number the more likely a
false positive is to occur. Moreover, this could produce multiple false
positives or not. The test has NO numerical finding but is instead
nothing but the tester's opinion of what is positive and what isn't.

5) The VTS explanation was only one of several examples that Hamilton's
lawyers presented to demonstrate REASONABLE DOUBT.

What is really unfortunate is that reasonable doubt means absolutely
nothing to morons who wish to misrepresent what is really at issue
here.

The standard in this forum was not reasonable doubt. It was preponderance
of the evidence as has been previously discussed here at rbr.

Tom Kunich wrote:

3) Under the American judicial theories of Innocent Until Proven Guilty
all that Tyler would have to present is a reasonable theory that THERE
COULD BE ANOTHER EXPLANATION to showing positive in the blood test. The
UCI and WADA in fact stated that they simply wouldn't look at any
questioning of the tests.



When/if a CRIMINAL proceeding is instituted against Tyler the above
statement would be applicable, but this is a CIVIL proceeding --
completely different.
Best,
Bill Black

On 13 Jun 2005 10:20:25 -0700, "Tom Kunich"
wrote:

1) 20%-30% of ALL multiple pregnancies end in Vanishing Twin Syndrome.
This isn't a fantasy since using ultrasound the two fetuses can be
actually seen and that one disappears is scientific fact.

Not to mention my personal fact that many false pregnancies are
actually Twin Vanishing Twin Syndrome. I personally had an evil twin
that I dispatched during our time prior to birth. He kept saying I was
wrong, which I took to be proof that he was evil.

Now he's just one more little voice...

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

"billb" wrote in message
ups.com...
Tom Kunich wrote:

3) Under the American judicial theories of Innocent Until Proven Guilty
all that Tyler would have to present is a reasonable theory that THERE
COULD BE ANOTHER EXPLANATION to showing positive in the blood test. The
UCI and WADA in fact stated that they simply wouldn't look at any
questioning of the tests.

When/if a CRIMINAL proceeding is instituted against Tyler the above
statement would be applicable, but this is a CIVIL proceeding --
completely different.

Indeed but if WADA and UCI are unwilling to even discuss the tests then
anything goes and evidence becomes unnecessary.

Tom,

All very nice and probably factual.

BUT: Why does he just now come with this line of defense? To me (and I
daresay quite a few others) this simply looks like he takes on every
possible explanation.

I am not saying (as I am definitely not an expert) its is impossible or
not true, but :

It won't help his case!

Curtis L. Russell wrote:
On 13 Jun 2005 10:20:25 -0700, "Tom Kunich"
wrote:


1) 20%-30% of ALL multiple pregnancies end in Vanishing Twin Syndrome.
This isn't a fantasy since using ultrasound the two fetuses can be
actually seen and that one disappears is scientific fact.


Not to mention my personal fact that many false pregnancies are
actually Twin Vanishing Twin Syndrome. I personally had an evil twin
that I dispatched during our time prior to birth. He kept saying I was
wrong, which I took to be proof that he was evil.

Now he's just one more little voice...

Imagine the foresight it took for TH to kill his twin in the womb in
order to provide an alibi for future non-homologous blood doping!

In article .com,
says...
Tom,
All very nice and probably factual.
BUT: Why does he just now come with this line of defense? To me (and I
daresay quite a few others) this simply looks like he takes on every
possible explanation.
I am not saying (as I am definitely not an expert) its is impossible or
not true, but :
It won't help his case!

When you didn't do something wrong, you try to find all possible reason of
why someone else thinks you did. You then try to figure out where the mistake
was made. Tyler, and his lawyer, are following the lead that seems to make the
most sense and explains the mistake.
--------------
Alex