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By Agence France Presse

This report filed June 28, 2007

Giro d’Italia winner Danilo Di Luca and Milram sprint star Alessandro Petacchi have been asked to appear before the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) next week as part of two separate doping investigations.

Petacchi hopes to get the Salbutamol issue settled by next week

Petacchi hopes to to clear his name in time for the Tour de France, which begins a week from Saturday in London.

The 33-year-old Italian sprinter, who as a precautionary rather than an official measure has been suspended by his team, will be interviewed on the morning of Monday, July 2 by CONI’s anti-doping prosecutor, Ettore Torri.

CONI is the governing body for all sport in Italy and oversees the activities of its member federations.

Petacchi delivered a “non-negative” doping test after the third of his five stage wins at Pinerolo on May 23, 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, a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).

The excessive amount of Salbutamol in Petacchi’s urine sample was confirmed by a laboratory of the UCI, which was sent the test by the Italian Cycling Federation (FCI) for verification.

If found guilty of cheating, Petacchi, an asthma sufferer who possesses the required certificate, could be banned from cycling for two years.

“We will take them (Alessandro’s) medical records, old tests and the authorization (to take Salbutamol) to show that there was no criminal intent,”

Milram team manager Gianluigi Stanga was quoted as saying in Thursday’s Gazzetta dello Sport. “He insists he has done nothing wrong.”

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.

Liquigas’s Di Luca was also summoned to appear before CONI’s anti-doping prosecutor on July 5 over his alleged relationship with a doctor suspected of supplying athletes with doping products.

Doctor Carlo Santuccione is under investigation by a public prosecutor in Florence for allegedly trafficking banned substances to several top Italian sportsmen, including former world champion pole vaulter Giuseppe Gibilisco.

Italian police have been investigating Santuccione since 2003.

The 31-year-old Di Luca, who rides for the Liquigas team on the ProTour, also won the prestigious Liege-Bastogne-Liege race this year. Di Luca was one of four riders who supplied urine samples that triggered an inquiry because of unusually low hormone levels, a result some researchers suggest may be an indication of masking agent use.