CONI bans Di Luca for life

The Italian Olympic Committee’s anti-doping tribunal banned cyclist Danilo Di Luca from the sport for life and fined him $50,000 after his third anti-doping infraction. CONI made the announcement on Wed.

Di Luca, 37, tested positive for banned substance erythropoietin (EPO) in an out-of-competition test on April 29. He had several strong performances at the Giro d’Italia in May while racing with the Vini Fantini-Selle Italia team.

He received his first sanctioning in 2007, a three-month suspension for working with physician Carlo Santuccione, who was involved in the ‘Oil for Drugs’ investigation. In 2009, he served 15 months of a two-year suspension after testing positive for the banned substance CERA, a form of EPO. His sentence was reduced for co-operating with anti-doping authorities.