Barloworld to leave cycling

2008-07-19 13:21

Johannesburg - South Africa's Barloworld on Saturday announced they will withdraw their sponsorship of Team Barloworld in cycling after the Tour de France.

This follows the disappointing actions of Moises Duenas, a team member, who tested positive for EPO, a prohibited substance, following stage four of the race.

Chris Fisher, head of corporate marketing at Barloworld Saturday said: "We consistently drive the values of our business through the team. Team Barloworld has a zero tolerance policy towards doping which has been constantly communicated to the riders - we have to act on this policy and as such we will all have to live with the long term consequences of one individual's action.

"This incident has a negative impact on Barloworld and our brand principals, which our board has a duty to protect. To say that we are disappointed would be an understatement.

"Cycling has been overshadowed for some time with doping issues which have negatively affected the reputation of the sport. Whilst we have continued to operate within this environment we have always made our position clear on drug use and have acted accordingly." concluded Fisher.

- SAPA