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NEWS FLASH: Basso admits involvement in Puerto scandal
By Agence France Presse
This report filed May 7, 2007

Italian cycling star Ivan Basso admitted to the anti-doping prosecutor of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) on Monday that he was involved in the Operation Puerto blood-doping scandal.

CONI said the 29-year-old rider came to their offices of his own accord
and offered to cooperate with their investigation and clarify his part in
the scandal.

Basso, last year’s Giro d’Italia winner and a pre-race favorite for the
2007 Tour de France, is one of dozens of riders implicated in the doping
affair, which erupted before last year’s Tour de France when Spanish police
uncovered an alleged blood-doping network run by doctor Eufemiano
Fuentes.

Police discovered bags of blood and doping products on a raid on
Fuentes’s laboratory in Madrid, along with codenames of cyclists and documents
that suggested the doctor had been paid to manipulate and store blood.

Basso’s implication in the scandal cost him his place at the Tour.

Last week Basso parted company with the Discovery Channel team after
CONI had called him to a hearing to answer doping charges. Until now, he had
protested his innocence.

Basso was initially acquitted by CONI of any involvement in the scandal
due to what Italy’s governing body for sport described as insufficient
evidence.

But CONI reopened its investigation after unearthing new evidence.

Last year’s Tour de France also ended in controversy when American
winner Floyd Landis tested positive for a skewed testosterone-epitestosterone
ratio.

According to Gazzetto dello Sport

Basso may have his suspension cut from two
years to one in exchange for his cooperation and be able to race in next
year’s Giro. He is having a press conference in Milan tomorrow.

Pat McQuaid’s comments:

“There is no provision for a reduced sentence,” he said then. “The WADA
rules apply and the minimum sentence is two years, whether it is for
admittance or non-admittance of an offence. The only time when you get less
than two years is if you can prove it was mistaken or it was taken in
foodstuffs, that kind of thing. But if you have been willingly involved in a
doping activity, it is two years.”