Controversial Italian rider Riccardo Ricco’s hope to return to racing this month has been dashed following Italian Olympic Committee CONI’s decision to extend the 60 day ban it handed him on June 10th.
Dr Francis Plotinus, the president of the National Anti-Doping Tribunal, has ordered the suspension to be extended by another 30 days. The decision was made after a request by the Ufficio di Procura Antidoping (Office of the Antidoping Prosecutor) yesterday, under articles 19 and 12 of CONI’s anti-doping rules.
Ricco was originally banned for two years after testing positive for the EPO substance CERA during the 2008 Tour de France. He returned to racing and was competing this year with the Vacansoleil tem, but was hospitalised in February in a very serious condition due to reported kidney failure.
At the time it was reported that Riccò had admitted to transfusing blood which had been stored in his refrigerator for 25 days. This led to the opening of an investigation and while Riccò denied making the admission, the case has continued since.
In May the investigation stalled when medical expert professor Giovanni Beduschi died suddenly due to a heart attack, but in June things moved forward again when the prosecutor of Mondena sent the dossier to the anti-doping prosecutor with CONI.
Riccò, meanwhile, was preparing to return to racing. He signed a contract with the small Meridiana-Kamen team and looked set to line out in the Tour of Serbia. However on June 8th the Commission for Health Protection of the Italian cycling federation decided to suspend his licence, saying it was doing so to protect the health of the athlete.
Two days later CONI announced that it was banning him for that 60 day period, stating that it had been done on the grounds of the ‘use or attempted use of prohibited substances or methods.’ That suspension has now been extended by another 30 days, making it clear that CONI doesn’t want the rider to return to racing until his case has been dealt with.
If Riccò is found guilty of doping, the second-such incidence in his career could leave him liable to a lifetime ban from the sport.