CONI reopens Puerto

Bro Deal

I am not sure if Hamilton testified under oath during his hearing. And it wasn't an actual court proceeding. I don't know what the law is in regards to private arbitration. I would hazard a guess and say it seems very, very unlikely he would be prosecuted.

I am sure he could be sued for his fund; but since he spent the money on his defense, there would not be much to be gained.

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"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

jhuskey

I was thinking Armstrong. Say what you want about him but it is only "sticks and stones". He seems to be teflon coated.
It's nice to have money and influence. Again I think the situation will get worse for cycling and just when I thought we had hit bottom.

btw: I heard a little from Jan today. It seems that he is enjoying family life in the Alps.

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Powerful Pete

Whoa. Torri going after the Spaniards in Puerto (on the biggest Italian radio news network it was stated that CONI was reopening Puerto due to its ' dissatisfaction with the manner in which the Spanish Federation handled matters and to deal with the fact that Spanish riders had been protected from becoming involved in Puerto ' (or something to that effect).

A good year for CONI to wield a big stick, potentially excluding riders from Giro, Tour and World Championships beyond San Remo and Lombardia (to name a few).

And Torri clearly wants to make a name for himself - he has gone after Italian track and field olympians and would truly make it to the big leagues if he can finally haul in some soccer players...

Mamma mia.

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cyclingheroes

We might have hit the bottom, the Austrians are doing everything they can to get the Vienna Lab case under the carpet...

I will call Strohband tomorrow morning, send him a fax yesterday. Very small but nice developement for Jan...

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earth_dweller

If this moves forwards, does it mean another retirement for Bruyneel?

Crankyfeet

I just hope if more of the truth gets exposed ... the world is shown that cycling isn't the only sport neck deep in doping. I'm sick of cycling being the scapegoat. Governments need to crack down on this...and it will only happen when voters are shown the truth that doping is a problem in most professional sports.

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Powerful Pete

It will take someone like Torri out to make a name and political career for himself to be able to attack soccer in Europe. IF they are able to prove widespread doping there, then no one will even remember that cycling had a problem. And then things will happen.

Whoa that would be huge. I can only dream...

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helmutRoole2

He's smarmy.

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snood

Torri is very old. He is not out to make a name and career.

Bro Deal

You find him smarmy?? I just find him rather colorless, boring.

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"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

Rolfrae

Well pointed out CH. I forgot about that. I was thinking so what if CONI ban Piti from riding the Giro when the Tour is his target race but this changes things.

limerickman

Yes I agree - if football is now coming in to focus re.OP, then we're talking big news.

That particular can of worms will be much tougher than anything we have seen in cycling.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets" - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

Rolfrae

This from today's cyclingnews.com

Contador and Valverde called to testify

Alberto Contador and Alejandro Valverde are among the 50 riders who will be called to testify before the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) about their possible involvement with Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport. The CONI prosecutor's office has already received the dossier on Operación Puerto from the Spanish Guardia Civil, and has announced it will call about 50 cyclists to testify, as well as the five principal actors: Fuentes, his sister Yolanda, Manolo Saiz, Merino Batres and Alberto Leon. The questioning is expected to take place in early February.

The new Italian anti-doping law allows actions against non-citizens, but the sanctions could only affect their actions in Italy. For example, riders could be prohibited from entering such races as the Giro d'Italia or Milano-Sanremo, or the 2008 World Championships in Varese. It could even affect the Tour de France, which this year has a stage finish in Patonevoso, Italy.

Bro Deal

LOL. This is too funny.

It seems likely that if the Italians banned some of the riders then those riders would run into serious problems in other countries like Germany and France.

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"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates