The Spanish Olympic Committee, or COE, expressed on Friday its support for Rafael Nadal, who has always successfully passed all drug tests, following the “unfortunate and unjustified” statements by French former sports minister Roselyne Bachelot.
“Rafael Nadal is one of the best athletes in world tennis history and in his long career has been subjected to countless doping tests that he has always passed successfully,” said a statement released by the Olympic body.
Bachelot said during a talk show that the Spanish player had faked an injury in 2012 to conceal a doping ban.
The COE said it “deeply regrets the unfortunate and unjustified statements of a person who, for the position she had held, should be aware that such accusations, because of the importance of them, must be grounded in evidence.”
The committee added that it hopes that “Rafael Nadal, like the rest of Spanish athletes, continues his successful career, swelling the long list of triumphs in Spanish sport.”
