[QODLink]
Sport
Petacchi fronts anti-doping hearing
Italian cyclist Alessandro Petacchi hopes to be cleared to ride at the Tour de France.
Last Modified: 02 Jul 2007 12:05 GMT

Italy's Alessandro Petacchi, centre, hopes to be cleared of doping ahead of the Tour de France [AFP]

Alessandro Petacchi, the Italian cyclist who produced a suspicious urine sample when tested for doping at the Giro D'Italia in May, attended a hearing at the headquarters of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) in Rome on Monday.
The 33-year-old Italian sprinter was quizzed by Ettore Torri, CONI's anti-doping prosecutor, for two hours as he attempted to clear his name.
 
Petacchi hopes to prove his innocence so that he can take his place at the Tour de France, which starts next Saturday.

"I tried to explain that I acted in good faith," Petacchi said after the hearing.

Asked if he felt confident that he would be at the Tour de France, he replied: "It depends on the prosecutors."

Torri, who is also interviewing Gianluigi Stanga, team manager of Petacchi's Milram team, promised a swift decision on Petacchi.

"It will be done very quickly," Torri said.

Petacchi delivered a 'non-negative' doping test after the third of his five stage wins at Pinerolo on May 23, with his sample showing an unusually high level of salbutamol, a substance primarily used to treat asthma.

Salbutamol is a banned substance but riders suffering from asthma are allowed restricted use of the drug if they can provide a medical certificate.

Petacchi does have such a certificate, having suffered from asthma for many years.

If found guilty of cheating, the Italian could be banned from cycling for two years.

Petacchi's urine sample taken at Pinerolo was the only one of the five doping tests he gave that showed an excessive amount of salbutamol.

Source:
Agencies
Topics in this article
People
Country
Featured on Al Jazeera
In the frozen peaks of Afghanistan's Kunar province, a ferocious clash for supremacy rages amid the mountaintops.
Indigenous community with "third world conditions" sits 90km from diamond mine, prompting fight for resource royalties.
There is a unique and dangerous commerce system at work in Amazonia, where children risk their lives for a few pennies.
Organisations that influence social, cultural and political issues in the US have been hijacked by the far right.
<  > 
join our mailing list

Enter Zip Code
Go