part 2Renato, you say this:
Renato says: First thing, he doesn’t know Italy is one of the very few Countries where doping is under the penal law : if you give doping, or you are caught positive (if an athlete), you go in jail and/or have a very high financial sanction.
First thing, Australia is the same. There are legislated penalties which can result in jail time for use and trafficking of PEDs. Has a single sports person been jailed for such a thing. Not to my knowledge has this occurred even once. So its an empty penalty, politically motivated and never used. Same in your country yes? We can go back to 1949 to find something interesting -
wiki says:Fausto Coppi of Italy admitted in a television interview (date unknown) that he used 'la Bomba' as there was no alternative if you wanted to remain competitive. This referred to amphetamines, which had been developed for military use during World War II to keep aircrew, merchant seamen and submariners awake, alert and energetic. After the war they found a ready market among endurance sportsmen.[17] Coppi also said, "One day I will take the wrong pill and pedal backward."[20] He also joked on camera that he only took drugs when absolutely necessary, which is nearly always
Or 1960.
Gastone Nencini of Italy, was discovered by Tour de France doctor Pierre Dumas in his bedroom with plastic tubes running from each arm to a bottle of blood; retransfusion was a legal practice at the time.[31] In the 1930s Scandinavian runners were believed to have used retransfusion to increase the number of corpuscles that carry oxygen to the muscles. In 1972, Dr Björn Ekblom of the Sport and Gymnastics Institute in Stockholm found that retransfusing cells increased oxygen uptake by nine per cent and athletic potential by 23 per cent.
1984
co Moser of Italy broke the hour record of Eddy Merckx in 1984. In 1999, he admitted blood doping to prepare for the attempt, helped by sports doctor Francesco Conconi. Such doping had not been declared illegal at the time.
1993
Claudio Chiappucci from Italy, confessed in 1997 that he had used drugs from 1993–1995, but later retracted that statement.[112] Chiappucci used the practice of Doctor Conconi,[113] who was accused of applying EPO to cyclists.[114][115] Conconi was found 'morally guilty', but was acquitted, because the crime had aged.[116] The judge had looked at medical reports of 33 cyclists in the period 1993-1995, including Chiappucci's, and all blood tests showed largely fluctuating hematocrit-values, indicative for EPO-use.
and it just goes on like this and a search for italy on this link can show everyone more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_doping_cases_in_cyclingOf course this is cycling and is TOTALLY different from track and field ...
Barbi is interesting, a marathoner, suspended three times during his career and suspended for rh-EPO and ephedrine, ‘the’ drugs of choice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_BarbiThen this guy is caught for the same stuff. Alberico di Cecco (born 19 April 1974) is an Italian long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon race. He was banned from the sport for two years by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) after testing positive for EPO at the Italian Championship on October 12, 2008.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberico_di_CeccoThen there is Longo the 800m runner and nandrolone:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_LongoMany more examples can be found on this link again with a search for italy.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_doping_cases_in_athletics
And for some extra info on Italian sport and PEDs:
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-drugs-in-serie-a---italy-sinking-deeper-into-scandal-1178042.html