Tennis Dad Convicted Of Doping Players

A father was convicted Thursday of drugging his children's tennis opponents, leading to one player's death, and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Christophe Fauviau had confessed to the crime during the trial in Mont-de-Marsan in southwestern France.

The former military pilot was accused of spiking the water bottles of his children's opponents 27 times in tournaments across France from 2000 to 2003, using the anti-anxiety drug Temesta, which can cause drowsiness.

He faced a maximum of 20 years in prison for unintentionally causing a death by administering toxic substances.

In tearful testimony, Fauviau described being gripped by panic and anguish as his devotion to his children's success spun out of hand. He asked the parents of the victim, 25-year-old schoolteacher Alexandre Lagardere, for forgiveness.

"It's something that completely took me over, and I couldn't imagine that I could be responsible for the death of your son," he told the court last week. "I never wanted things to come out like this."

He recalled disputes with the French Tennis League, whom he accused of not paying enough attention to his daughter Valentine's "enormous potential." The 16-year-old is considered a rising star in French tennis.

"Each match was a terrible anguish," he said. He said he began taking the anti-anxiety drug Temesta, which he used against his children's opponents.

"I completely lost reason. I took Temesta myself. To put it in the bottles became a habit that I wasn't aware of. I never considered that in doing this I could hurt someone," he said.

Fauviau was accused of drugging his children's opponents 27 times in tournaments across France from 2000 to 2003, using Temesta, which can cause drowsiness.

The opponents complained to investigators of various ills: weak knees, dizziness, nausea or fainting. Several were hospitalized.

In July 2003, Fauviau's son Maxime defeated Lagardere, who complained of fatigue after the match and slept for two hours. While driving home, Lagardere crashed his car and died, and police believe he fell asleep at the wheel. Toxicology tests showed traces of Temesta in his system, allegedly delivered by Fauviau.

Valentine Fauviau cast doubt on the accusations against her father.

"Tired girls, yes, I saw them. But nothing more than that," she told the court, according to French newspapers. "I never needed anyone to help me win."

Her brother was more blunt.

"He blew a gasket and didn't calculate all the consequences. He's too involved in tennis," Maxime Fauviau told the court, according to Le Parisien.

Fauviau's wife, Catherine, said she had no idea whether he was involved in drugging players.

"If I had, it would have been suitcases or the psychiatrist," she was quoted in Le Parisien as saying.

Fauviau, a former helicopter pilot instructor for the French army, has been in custody pending trial since his arrest in August 2003.