Crisis of confidence
Posted May 8th, 2007 in Dope
Basso comes clean.
Ivan Basso on Monday confessed to the anti-doping prosecutor of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) that he was involved in the Operación Puerto blood doping scandal.
CONI said the 2006 Giro winner came to them of his own accord and offered to cooperate with their investigation and clarify his part in the scandal.
The 29-year-old Basso now faces a ban from cycling of up to two years and an additional two-year exclusion from riding on ProTour teams. If his doping is connected to his 2006 Giro win, authorities could also strip him of that title.
“He wasn’t feeling good and he wasn’t calm, and he wanted to lift a weight off his conscience,” said Basso’s lawyer Massimo Martelli. “During the interrogation he was shaking, but then he regained his composure to show great character.”
Ivano Fanini, owner of Italian cycling team Amore and Vita, was happy to see Basso come clean.
“I knew it would finish this way and it could be a great chance for things to change,” he said. “Basso has shown his intelligence and understands that this is the right road to take.
“He mustn’t only think about saving himself, and I hope that what he has done proves to be important.”
And folks wonder why cynicism reigns supreme when a busted athlete claims that he/she is innocent and that the stuff was for the dog/mother-in-law/wife etc. Unfortunately for Basso his credibility is in tatters by his previous emphatic denial. Makes me wonder about the psychological and ethical make-up of other athletes caught; who continue to deny the obvious, and who attempt to take the system to the mat.
Given recent events how can anyone logically believe riders’ claims of innocence. Crisis of confidence? Indeed.
technorati tags: cycling, bicycles, doping, ivan, basso
What others have to say…
What will we do when there are no hero’s left 
I’m glad he’s come clean, but I am so depressed I can barely work today. My 9 year old neighbor no longer wants to be a cyclist. I’m an atheist so don’t believe in gods but i always believed in human nature. A firm belief that most people were good. Now I find myself like a priest thats lost his faith. Disillusioned and broken at the alter of professional cycling.
Maybe a bit melodramatic but I am wrong, Phil, you are right. I will no longer argue with you about the level of doping at the top level of the sport. You win
Actually Jamie, this is a positive, what Basso has done changes the game for other high level potential tour winners caught in the net.
Unfortunately it appears that only American riders are recalcitrant on this issue, too bad really, because I think their attitude is holding any possible resolution of this issue to ransom.
The old cycling world is taking a new approach and the new cycling world is standing for the status quo.
Innocent until proven guilty.
No one gains anything by tarring every professional cyclist with accusations of doping.
Are some of those who claim innocence lying? Of course. But a claim of innocence is not proof of guilt. That’s medieval witch-hunt logic.
I say test, test, test and test them some more. Improve the tests and do it again. Banish the guilty but always assume innocence until proof of guilt is found.
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One wonders what Lance will do now to “protect the peloton.”