Marion Sicot, a former French professional cyclist, was handed a 10-month suspended prison sentence and fined €5,000 (£4,230 / $5,209) following a doping trial on Wednesday. Sicot, who competed from 2013 to 2019 and represented France at the national level, was found guilty of importing and possessing banned substances, including erythropoietin (EPO), after testing positive for the drug in 2019.
The 32-year-old’s sentence, which is suspended for 10 months, means that she will avoid prison unless she commits another crime during that period. Sicot’s trial, which began in November, was held in Montargis, south of Paris. During the proceedings, evidence revealed that she had used EPO and clenbuterol, a fat-burning drug, between 2016 and 2019, while riding for the Belgian UCI team Dotcini-Van Eyck Sport.
Sicot’s positive EPO test came after the 2019 French National Road Championships, where she finished ninth. Initially, she denied using the drug, and her ban was reduced to two years. However, this was later extended to a full four-year ban, which will last until March 2024.
In court, Sicot acknowledged the role of doping in her cycling career, expressing regret for her actions. “I regret cheating and lying. I dirtied my sport,” she said, admitting that doping had been an “integral part” of cycling, though she claimed to have gained “no personal benefit” from it.
France’s anti-doping efforts are overseen by the Agence Française de Lutte Contre le Dopage (AFLD), which enforces laws against the trafficking and possession of banned substances. While doping itself is not punishable under French law, possession and distribution are criminal offenses. This differs from regulations in the United States, where the use of performance-enhancing drugs is also a criminal act, and the UK, where doping is not criminalized.
Alongside Sicot, a former semi-professional cyclist and friend of hers was convicted for importing and possessing doping substances. He was sentenced to a 10-month suspended prison term and fined €10,000 (£8,460 / $10,418). A 51-year-old doctor involved in the case, accused of forging prescriptions, also received a 10-month suspended sentence, a €20,000 (£16,920 / $20,836) fine, and a six-month ban from practicing medicine.
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