Danilo Di Luca collaborates to reduced doping suspension
Danilo Di Luca will learn October 15 at 10:00 if his doping suspension will be reduced. The Italian anti-doping tribunal (TNA) announced yesterday it granted Di Luca’s request to re-open the case.
Di Luca’s lawyers Ernesto De Toni and Flavia Tortorella asked the TNA to reopen the case based on article 10.5.3 of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code. The article allows a suspension to be reduced if an athlete helps investigators uncover other violations.
The TNA issued Di Luca a two-year ban and a €280,000 fine February 1 for doping at last year’s Giro d’Italia. Di Luca finished second overall at the Giro d’Italia behind Russian Denis Menchov, but two months later, in July, the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced that Di Luca tested positive twice for blood booster EPO-CERA during the three-week stage race.
The two-year ban was less than the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) recommended. The CONI recommend on December 17 a three-year ban based on Di Luca’s prior doping offence – he served a three-month suspension in 2007 for visiting banned sports doctor Carlo Santuccione in 2004.
Di Luca won the Giro d’Italia in 2007. Last year, he won stage four on May 12 and stage 10 on May 19, and finished 41 seconds behind Menchov in the overall classification. His two positive doping controls came from blood samples taken on May 20 (stage 11) and May 28 (stage 18). Anti-doping controllers took five blood and 12 urine samples from Di Luca during the race.
Di Luca’s ban runs from July 22, 2009, to July 21, 2011. If he provides significant help to the TNA, his ban may be reduced a maximum of 50 per cent and he would be free to race immediately.
He reportedly is talking with first division team Geox and second division team ISD.