MADRID, Oct 25: Juan Antonio Samaranch has refuted suggestions from World Anti-Doping chief Dick Pound that he was soft on doping during his tenure as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president and said the criticism was a result of frustrated ambition.

“I am not surprised by Mr Richard Pound’s comments as, since the year 2001, when the elections for the Presidency of the IOC were held, there has been no personal relationship between us,” Samaranch said. “That year Jacques Rogge was elected as the new president by a majority. He won by 59 votes whereas Mr Pound obtained 22 and reached the third position ... Mr Pound still has not forgotten his defeat, which definitively prevented him achieving the IOC’s presidency.”

Pound, who is stepping down as WADA chief this year, said in a recent interview that Samaranch had not been interested in taking concerted action against doping until after the 1998 Festina scandal at the Tour de France.—Reuters