[Mom and Pop Pantani : “We defend the memory of Marco”
Mr. Candido Cannavo, we read with great displeasure your article of Feb. 14, 2006 on the Gazzetta, with which you remember our son Marco Pantani at two years after his death.
We thought that after two years and after the autopsy of professor Fortuni that certified the integrity of Marco’s body from blood doping, that no one would be able anymore to write “poisoned blood” speaking of Pantani. We hold as offensive even your affirmation of his two controls passed near the control limit. Instead rather why not speak of the fact that the following year the rules were so changed that the hematocrit level alone was not enough to make a suspension for the protection of health. And with those new rules Marco’ 1999 blood sample would not have resulted in a suspension, he would have won that giro and many more still, and today he would be with us and with those who have loved him.
He did not have any need that day Marco, “of excesses and sinful errors” as you write, he had already won the giro.
Your affirmation that it is not true that Pantani had payed for all, is also an outrage. Seven prosecutors have investigated him, he has suffered a penal condemnation, a disqualification without proofs and a continual offense to his talent and to his achievements. To which only we are able to testify how much he really suffered. Not even athletes actually found positive with controls have been subjected to so much.
Our Marco has been subjected to too much humiliation and injustice when he was alive for it to be right to be insulted in continuation even when dead, behind the excuse of “affection” that you say you have for him. Affection is demonstrated first of all with respect of the champion and the man, not with articles like the one you wrote on so painful a day. On one thing from that article we are in agreement, when you write of the world of cycling that has to interrogate itself if the death of Pantani was not a collective crime. There it is, instead of continuing to insult him, you could start on that self interrogation of this collective crime.
Salutations,
Tonina and Paulo Pantani (Cesenatico)]
In truth without coming forward with a defamation lawsuit at one point or another, Marco Pantani will always be taken as the poster boy for cheating. Even though there is no substance for making the statement other than someone else has already said it.
Mr. Candido Cannavo, we read with great displeasure your article of Feb. 14, 2006 on the Gazzetta, with which you remember our son Marco Pantani at two years after his death.
We thought that after two years and after the autopsy of professor Fortuni that certified the integrity of Marco’s body from blood doping, that no one would be able anymore to write “poisoned blood” speaking of Pantani. We hold as offensive even your affirmation of his two controls passed near the control limit. Instead rather why not speak of the fact that the following year the rules were so changed that the hematocrit level alone was not enough to make a suspension for the protection of health. And with those new rules Marco’ 1999 blood sample would not have resulted in a suspension, he would have won that giro and many more still, and today he would be with us and with those who have loved him.
He did not have any need that day Marco, “of excesses and sinful errors” as you write, he had already won the giro.
Your affirmation that it is not true that Pantani had payed for all, is also an outrage. Seven prosecutors have investigated him, he has suffered a penal condemnation, a disqualification without proofs and a continual offense to his talent and to his achievements. To which only we are able to testify how much he really suffered. Not even athletes actually found positive with controls have been subjected to so much.
Our Marco has been subjected to too much humiliation and injustice when he was alive for it to be right to be insulted in continuation even when dead, behind the excuse of “affection” that you say you have for him. Affection is demonstrated first of all with respect of the champion and the man, not with articles like the one you wrote on so painful a day. On one thing from that article we are in agreement, when you write of the world of cycling that has to interrogate itself if the death of Pantani was not a collective crime. There it is, instead of continuing to insult him, you could start on that self interrogation of this collective crime.
Salutations,
Tonina and Paulo Pantani (Cesenatico)]
In truth without coming forward with a defamation lawsuit at one point or another, Marco Pantani will always be taken as the poster boy for cheating. Even though there is no substance for making the statement other than someone else has already said it.
