London (AFP)
Former Sky and British cycling team doctor Richard Freeman was convicted on Friday of ordering testosterone in 2011 for doping purposes, according to the British Medical Council's General Council.
Freeman accepted 18 of the 22 charges against him regarding ordering a packet of Testogel from British Cycling headquarters in 2011, but denied the central accusation regarding the reason for its use.
After a hearing of more than two years, decisions on these charges were rendered by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.
Freeman claimed testosterone was ordered to treat former performance director Shane Sutton's erection problems, which the Aussie has vigorously denied.
This verdict will raise many questions about the past practices of the British team, which dominated the last Olympic Games, as well as the performance of the Sky team, which won six Tours de France between 2012 and 2018, thanks to Bradley Wiggins, Christopher Froome and Geraint Thomas.
Freeman, who was simultaneously employed by the British team and Sky - now Ineos Grenadiers - between 2009 and 2015, resigned from British Cycling in 2017 for health reasons.
He had already left Team Sky.
The court will sit again next week to determine the penalties Freeman will face and whether he will be found unfit to continue practicing medicine.
It was announced last month that he also faces two charges from the UK anti-doping agency related to ordering that packet of testosterone.
© 2021 AFP