Taken out of the race

Mafia suspicion: New investigations in the Pantani case

Marco Pantani at the Giro d'Italia 1999(Bild: AFP/APA/PATRICK KOVARIK)

The public prosecutor's office in the northern Italian city of Trento has opened an investigation into the case of the late cycling star Marco Pantani in connection with the 1999 Giro d'Italia. According to media reports, the investigation is based on suspicion of an alleged illegal betting ring. 

This is said to have been linked to the Camorra, the mafia in the Naples region, and aimed to prevent the victory of the "Pirate".

Camorra intervention?
The climbing specialist was taken out of the race in 1999 after his fourth stage win on suspicion of doping. After the revelations of some renegade Camorra members, the organized crime group specializing in betting wanted to prevent the "Pirate" from bringing the pink jersey to Milan. For this reason, the professional cyclist was subjected to doping tests before the stage in Madonna di Campiglio, according to the suspicion. The tests revealed a haematocrit value of 52, which was above the permitted limit of 50. This test led to Pantani's exclusion.

Marco Pantani was taken out of the race for doping.(Bild: AFP/APA/Pascal PAVANI)

Pantani, who won the Giro and Tour in 1998, was caught up in a personal and professional crisis following his exclusion from the Giro. Increasing accusations of manipulation and several court cases then destroyed his career until his tragic death in 2004 in a hotel room in Rimini from a drug overdose.

The new investigation was launched following pressure from Pantani's family lawyers, who have been demanding clarity for years about the circumstances that led to his death. The public prosecutor's office has already questioned several people and will have to hear others in order to reconstruct the alleged secret betting ring, Italian media reported.

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