The Tour de France cycle race has been hit by controversy not over drugs but gambling, as Brussels rides to the rescue of a team banned for being sponsored by an online bookmaker.
France’s restrictive gaming laws have led organisers to block a team backed by Unibet, a Malta-based gambling company, from entering July’s competition. Charlie McCreevy, the internal market commissioner, has written to lawyers of the Green Cycle team and the International Cycling Union, the sport’s governing body, pledging his support.
