In an effort to limit the negative impact of Spanish doping investigation “Operacion Puerto” on this year’s Tour de France, the French sports minister, Jean-Francois Lamour, has asked the Spanish authorities in charge of the investigation to release all the names of the athletes involved before July 1, when the Tour starts in Strasbourg. Lamour, who spoke with Spain’s sports minister at the final of the French Open, said, “We spoke about it at length. I told him of our concern that the names be known, if possible, before the opening of the Tour de France. He is doing what he can.”

Lamour is anxious to avoid a repeat of the 1998 Festina scandal, which remains the biggest drug scandal in recent cycling history. He supported the withdrawal of Comunitat Valenciana’s wildcard invitation, saying, “The Tour de France must go ahead in total transparency. That is to say with people who cannot be suspected of having benefited from these transfusions.”

The international riders association (CPA) issued a statement last week supporting Lamour’s efforts in general, saying the initiative to get the names released “is aimed at defending the interests of clean athletes.” The CPA, however, did take issue with the apparent single-minded focus of the French sports minister on the sport of cycling: “The CPA asks the Minister why this concern should be limited to cycling. After having been informed by the press that athletes of other sports may be implicated, the CPA wishes to know if the Minister made the same call before the beginning of other athletic events, like, for example, Roland Garros or the soccer World Cup.”