Beijing - The head of cycling's ruling body, Pat McQuaid, accused Spain of being "too lenient" on doping, following the positive test by Spanish cyclist Maria Isabel Moreno at the Beijing Olympics.

Moreno was the first athlete to test positive at the 2008 Games, and her use of the blood-booster EPO was confirmed Monday by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"I am surprised and indeed extremely annoyed because of this doping case in the Olympics. Having said that, the fact that the doping was Spanish does not particularly surprise me," McQuaid said in a telephone interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

McQuaid made no attempt to hide his anger at the scandal that has once again affected his sport. For the Irishman, Spanish authorities are "too lenient in their approach to doping," at least in cycling.

"(Moreno) is not the first one," he stressed.

McQuaid was referring to the positive tests - for third-generation EPO, also known as CERA - of Spanish cyclists Manuel Beltran and Moises Duenas at the recent edition of the Tour de France.

"(Spanish authorities) need to realize and deal with it. It is a serious problem and needs to be treated as such. There needs to be a very strong campaign, a huge number of increased tests, investigations into the people who are in the background, providing the doping products," he said.

The president of the International Cycling Union (UCI) called on Spain to apply the anti-doping legislation that has been in place for two years.

"There is a law against it. The people who are doing it need to be caught and punished, so the message comes out," McQuaid demanded.

He intended to make these recommendations to the Spanish Secretary of State for Sports, Jaime Lissavetzky, with whom he planned to meet shortly to insist on the need for changes in the official approach to the use of forbidden substances in cycling.

"I do have a very good relationship with him," said McQuaid.

He recalled that he personally congratulated Lissavetzky for the gold medal obtained on Saturday by Spanish cyclist Samuel Sanchez.

However, McQuaid complained that he thinks doping in cycling is more worrying in Spain than in other countries.

"In many other countries you always get individuals (caught in doping). But these countries have been attacking the problem over the past several years. I think Spain is behind."

Less than a week ago, McQuaid had told dpa about his concern over the presence in Beijing of cyclists the UCI thinks were involved in the Operacion Puerto doping case, like Spain's Alejandro Valverde.

The UCI has fought for two years to gain access to the files in this case, over the investigation in Spain in 2006 of the doping network around controversial doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.

However, because of legislation in place at the time, the judge did not find anyone guilty of a crime and banned the use of evidence seized in the operation to impose sanctions on riders.

McQuaid recalled that the UCI already tried to prevent Valverde from competing at the 2007 World Championship in Stuttgart, because of his alleged involvement in Operacion Puerto. However, their decision was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Valverde is free to race: if he wins, he wins, said a resigned McQuaid.