Sports Official Wants Ullrich to Come Clean on Doping Charges

Thomas Bach, president of the German Olympic Sport Association (DOSB), said a full statement by Ullrich on the affair would be "liberating for him" and "a step towards regaining credibility" for sports in general.

"Play straight, undergo a DNA test and tell all," said Bach, Germany's highest sports official, in an interview with Sport Bild magazine.

A former Tour de France and Olympic champion, Ullrich has refused to take a DNA test to clear his name from the doping affair implicating him.

"I don't have to prove my innocence," he said. "I am a professional cyclist and not a killer or a criminal."

Life-long cycling ban possible

Ullrich -- along with 50 other riders -- is alleged to have been given EPO, steroids and human growth hormones by Madrid-based sports doctor, Eufemiano Fuentes, the alleged head of a blood-doping network. Ullrich has denied all allegations and said he does not know Fuentes.

Ullrich was suspended shortly before the 2006 Tour by his T-Mobile team and was later dismissed. He faces a lifetime ban from cycling as a second-time offender under the rules of the World Anti-Doping Code.

The 32-year-old rider has refused to comment in detail on the allegations, but told the Swiss tabloid Blick in late July he had never doped.

Repeating the rumor doesn't make it true

"As you know I've made a conscious decision not to comment on the many inaccurate reports in detail," Ullrich said. "Otherwise, I'd spend the whole day correcting facts."

He said that when he had read a report recently that the affair concerning the Spanish doctor had spread to Hamburg and his name was mentioned in connection with this "I can only shake my head."

Ullrich added that "a rumor does not become truer when printed once and then permanently repeated."

Public broadcaster under fire for paying Ullrich

Meanwhile German public broadcaster ARD has defended making payments to Ullrich in exchange for several years for interviews and appearing at special events. German media reported Tuesday that ARD had paid Ullrich 195,000 euros ($250,000) a year since 1999 in return for interviews and other cooperation.

According to reports Tuesday by the dailies Süddeutsche Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, public broadcaster ARD, which is financed by the TV license fee, paid quarterly amounts into Ullrich's bank account.

ARD suspended the payments for one year in 2002 when Ullrich was under doping suspicion, then resumed the deal in 2003. ARD officials said they have now terminated the contract with effect from the end of this year.

On Tuesday, the broadcaster's program director Günter Struve confirmed the contract, saying it was for "special coverage" including a daily "diary" during the Tour de France, appearances in ARD entertainment programs or availability for features.

"The aim of this was to have special coverage opportunities on one of Germany's most prominent sports personalities," he said.