Former World champion facing possible two-year ban
Alessandro Ballan (BMC Racing) will appear before the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal (TNA) on January 16th to answer charges filed against him from the Mantova doping affair. The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) as requested a two year ban for the 2008 World champion, which would likely end the 34-year-old’s career.
Ballan has been charged with “violation of Article 2.2 of the [World Anti-Doping Agency] WADA Code, on the basis of the documents submitted by the public prosecutor of Mantua.” So far, despite 27 individuals being named by la Gazzetta dello Sport as having alleged involvement, he has been the only rider to be indicted to date.
As well as Ballan, trainer/doctor Guido Negrelli and doctor Fiorenzo Egeo Bonazzi are due to appear separately before the TNA on January 16th, either side of the former Word champion’s noon appointment. Negrelli, who is alleged to be at the centre of the investigation, faces a lifetime ban from working with athletes due to violation of articles 2.7 and 2.8 of the WADA code, which refer to the trafficking and administering of prohibited substances and methods. Bonazzi faces a seven-year ban.
The investigation dates back to alleged activities during 2008 and 2009, when Ballan was racing for Lampre. When the news of Ballan’s implication – and teammate Mauro Santambrogio – he was temporarily suspended by his new team, BMC Racing. When the investigation appeared to stall, however, both riders returned to racing.
The BMC Racing team has been keen to emphasise that all charges against Ballan date from before he became a member of the American squad in 2010, but is waiting to see the outcome of the CONI case before acting.