LIEGE, Belgium, April 23, 2009 (AFP) – Spanish team Fuji, who were banned from the Tour de France, were on Thursday welcomed into the Tour of Italy which gets underway on May 9.

Organizers published the list of 22 teams for the Giro and Fuji, whose team director is Italian Alvaro Crespi, were included

Fuji had originally been sidelined from the race following the dope test failure of Riccardo Ricco at last year’s Tour de France when the team was known as Saunier Duval.

In 2008, Ricco won two stages of the Giro and finished second overall but has since been hit with a two-year ban after his positive test for blood-booster EPO on the Tour de France.

Tour of Italy teams:
Italy: Acqua e Sapone, ISD, Lampre, Liquigas
France: AG2R, Bouygues Telecom
Kazakhstan: Astana
Great Britain: Barloworld
Spain: Caisse d’Epargne, Fuji, Xacobeo
Switzerland: Cervelo
USA: Garmin, Columbia
Ireland: LPR
Belgium: Quick Step, Silence
Netherlands: Rabobank
Venezuela: Serramenti
Russia: Katusha
Germany: Milram
Denmark: Saxo Bank