Broadcasters Pull Tour de France Once Again Over Doping Affairs

A broadcasting agreement for the Tour de France has been cancelled by German state broadcasters ARD and ZDF over concerns with doping in the sport after current Tour champion Alberto Contador was recently handed a one-year ban from professional cycling for an offence.

The German companies will not show live coverage of the event once their current deal for the 2011 race concludes after stating that they would not join a new European Broadcasting Union contract with the Tour’s organiser, allergy | Amaury Sport Organisation.

Despite announcing that they would continue to report on the event ARD and ZDF opted against live coverage in the future, claiming that the stature of the cycling event had “low acceptance” with TV viewers because of the various doping scandals in recent years.

In 2007, the networks stopped airing the Tour after a series of doping affairs, but they resumed live coverage a year later.