T-Mobile to end sponsorship?

2007-07-24 14:42

Berlin - German cycling team T-Mobile will discover at the end of this year's Tour de France on Sunday if the German mobile telephone operator will withdraw their sponsorship, a spokesperson announced on Tuesday.

"We will consider things and make a decision at the end of this year's race," said T-Mobile's communications director Christian Frommert, whose company have a contract to sponsor the team until 2010.

Cycling's reputation in Germany was further tarnished last week when T-Mobile rider Patrik Sinkewitz was found to have abnormal levels of testosterone in his blood and was suspended from the team.

Sinkewitz is waiting to hear whether his 'B' sample, also taken on June 8, shows the same result.

It has been a difficult year for T-Mobile who sacked 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich in July 2006 after he was linked to the Spanish 'Operation Puerto' doping investigation.

And then earlier this year, seven former Telekom (T-Mobile's previous name) riders, including now disgraced 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis and sprinter Erik Zabel, confessed to using banned blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO).

The cycling team now face an anxious wait until the Tour finishes in Paris on Sunday, because T-Mobile are able to break their contract with immediate effect - even before the Tour of Germany which begins on August 10.

Adidas are also seriously considering withdrawing their partnership agreement with T-Mobile and German televisions channels ARD and ZDF cancelled their coverage of this year's Tour in light of Sinkewitz's failed drugs test.

Only 15% of Germans are still interested in this year's Tour, according to survey in Germany's Financial Times.

- AFP