Sir Dave Brailsford defends Sir Bradley Wiggins' use of banned drug

Wiggins' use of the powerful anti-inflammatory drug triamcinolone on the eve of the Tour de France in 2011 and 2012 and the Giro d'Italia in 2013 was revealed when a group of Russian computer hackers starting leaking the medical data of dozens of top athletes almost a fortnight ago. Wiggins won the Tour in 2012.

The 36-year-old British star applied, and was granted, three therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) to take the drug to deal with a pollen allergy that aggravates his long-standing asthma condition.

But triamcinolone has also been widely used as a doping agent by riders, including Lance Armstrong, and is believed to help athletes lose weight, fight fatigue and aid recovery.

Wiggins' TUEs, which were stolen from the World Anti-Doping Agency's computer servers by the so-called 'Fancy Bears international hack team', were approved by cycling's world governing body the UCI and there is no suggestion that he or the team have broken any rules.

But that has not stopped both the rider and Team Sky facing a barrage of criticism from inside and outside the sport, particularly given the team's much- publicised "zero tolerance" attitude towards doping, and Wiggins' own comments about drugs cheats and the use of needles in his autobiographies.

Brailsford told the BBC: "What we're talking about here is Bradley having a need, the team doctor supporting that, an expert giving their opinion that this is the medicine that is required, and that then going to the authorities who say 'we agree with you, and here's the certificate that gives you the permission to use that medication'.

"I've got trust in (the TUE) process and the integrity of that process.

"It's not one person making that decision. It's not the rider or the team doctor, who is picking the medication. They have to seek permission to use it and they were granted permission."

Critics have pointed out that Wiggins' breakthrough performance as a road cyclist at the 2009 Tour, when he came third, was achieved using less powerful medication via an inhaler. That form of asthma therapy no longer requires a TUE as there is no evidence of wider performance enhancement.

However, Brailsford added: "With the information that I had at the time, five or six years ago, with the information that was presented to me, and the expert opinion and the whole integrity of the process, I would make that decision again."

He also rejected any comparisons with former dopers.

"Certain dopers, who cheated with a cocktail of drugs, claim they used this and abused it for performance enhancement - that's not the the case here," said Brailsford, before adding that the team has only been granted 13 TUEs in their seven seasons of racing.

When asked if the public can still believe what they're seeing, Brailsford said: "100 per cent you can trust in Sky, absolutely 100 per cent. It's the very essence of why we created this team in the first place."

However, he acknowledged: "Certainly, going forward, there is a broader argument about should TUEs be made public, and we're looking at it."